Plasma Donated to Giraffe Born by C-Section Took Six Years of Donations to Collect

SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Aug. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Two thirteen-year old giraffes at Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, Missouri, have no idea their weekly blood draws have helped save the life of a giraffe born via C-section at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard, Kansas.

Dickerson Park Zoo is a member of the Giraffe Plasma Bank System and one of a few zoos in the country that consistently banks plasma. Mili and Grady, two members of the herd at Dickerson Park Zoo, are trained for voluntary blood draws, which allow for research in different studies, medical tests and banked to be used by other facilities if needed.

On July 11, 2026, zookeeper Matt Corrie at DPZ got a text message from a colleague at the International Center for Care and Conservation of Giraffe at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

A giraffe delivered by C-section at Tanganyika Wildlife Park needed plasma, and needed it as soon as possible.

"I was on the road within an hour of the original text," said Corrie. "TWP is the first facility to need our plasma, and the dose used for their baby took six years of plasma draws to collect."

In 2018, a fundraiser called Chilling at the Zoo raised over $10,000 for the DPZ animal hospital to purchase an ultra-low freezer to preserve biological material. Eight years and hundreds of blood draws later, Dickerson Park Zoo was ready to answer the call. The collaboration between Tanganyika Wildlife Park, the International Center for Care and Conservation of Giraffes, Dickerson Park Zoo, and some of the top giraffe veterinarians in the country is a testimony to the relevancy of zoos and the animal care professionals working to save species.

Dickerson Park Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things. With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats. For more information, visit www.aza.org.

SOURCE Dickerson Park Zoo