Chester Zoo has welcomed a rare giraffe to support conservation breeding efforts for one of the world's most endangered giraffe species.

Kris, a lively three-year-old male, has travelled from West Midlands Safari Park to meet the resident female herd here at the zoo.

His arrival is hoped to produce calves and strengthen the conservation breeding programme for northern giraffes, one of the world's most endangered species. Fewer than 7,000 remain in the wild due to habitat loss, poaching and human conflict.

"Kris' arrival marks the beginning of an important new chapter for the herd here at Chester Zoo. He's already settling into his new home brilliantly," said Giraffe Keeper, Rosie Owen.

"At just over three years old, Kris is still a young giraffe, but he's full of confidence and is already getting to know the herd – and out of his five new housemates, four of them are older females who are all considerably taller than him.

"He's taking everything in his stride and we're optimistic that, in time, our matchmaking will pay off and he'll go on to play a vital role in helping to save his species from extinction."

Nubian giraffes, a rare subspecies of the northern giraffe, were once found across western Kenya, western Ethiopia, southern Sudan and Uganda, but their numbers declined by around 95% in just three decades. Today, they survive only in small, fragmented populations.

However, conservationists here at the zoo say there is reason for renewed optimism.

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Recent monitoring in Uganda revealed that Nubian giraffe numbers, including in national parks where the zoo and our partners are working, have increased year on year.

For more than a decade, Chester Zoo has supported other organisation's efforts to protect and recover populations of the Nubian giraffe – a subspecies of northern giraffe and one of the most threatened giraffes in all of Africa.

"The largest remaining population of Nubian giraffes, anywhere in the wild, is found in Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda," said Stuart Nixon, African conservation expert at Chester Zoo.

"Our work here has included safely translocating genetically important giraffes from the herds there to help strengthen smaller, isolated populations elsewhere in the country."

He added: "Alongside this, we're also helping to carry out annual population surveys and provide practical support for ranger teams tackling the threat of wire snares and poaching.

"This work has seen the Nubian giraffe population increase by more than 600 individuals over the last 10 years, with numbers continuing to increase year on year.

"The recovery of the Nubian giraffe in Uganda is a massive success story and shows what science-led conservation can achieve."