The Zoo welcomes the public to participate in naming the
13-month-old giraffe, who is settling into his new home.
OAKLAND,
Calif., May 10, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A new
male giraffe is adapting to his home at Oakland Zoo after traveling
from Audubon Nature Institute in Louisiana. He traveled in a
specially designed carrier for giraffes, which accommodated his
approximately 10-foot height and gave him enough room during his
journey. The 13-month-old giraffe was brought to the Zoo upon
recommendation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
Species Survival Plan (SSP). These plans help ensure the
sustainability of a healthy, genetically diverse, and
demographically varied AZA population.
He is a brave and bold giraffe who's
adjusting quite well. We're thrilled to get to know him and watch
him develop a bond with his new herd at the Zoo
The Animal Care team at Oakland Zoo has been working hard to
ensure the behind-the-scenes area is comfortable for the new
arrival, keeping his overall wellbeing in mind. Providing different
options of enrichment, bedding, and tree browse gives the keepers a
better understanding of his preferences and allows the giraffe to
choose how he would like to interact with his new environment.
While exploring his space, he discovered a bamboo wind chime made
by his keepers and has since become enamored.
"He is a brave and bold giraffe who's adjusting quite well.
We're thrilled to get to know him and watch him develop a bond with
his new herd at the Zoo," says Amy
Phelps, Oakland Zoo's Zoological Manager.
While he adjusts to his new home, he will have the opportunity
to start getting to know his herd mates through sound, smell, and
sight (through a fenceline). When his Animal and Veterinary Care
teams determine he is ready, he will move to the giraffe habitat at
the Zoo's African Savanna area.
Giraffes are highly social animals and maintain relationships
with many individuals in their natural habitats. The addition of
another giraffe helps provide a more robust social structure to the
giraffe herd at Oakland Zoo, bringing the total number of giraffes
to six. It is common for giraffes to live in groups of varied
ages—the Zoo has giraffes ages one to 12. Kendi, a female giraffe,
was born just last year at the Zoo. Having two giraffes close in
age will provide a different dynamic to the herd.
The Zoo's reticulated giraffes serve as ambassadors to their
wild counterparts. Reticulated giraffe populations have experienced
a 50% decline in the past three and a half decades due to illegal
wildlife trade and habitat loss, which has led to their endangered
status on the IUCN Red List.
Oakland Zoo supports The Reticulated Giraffe Project, which
investigates reticulated giraffes' behavioral ecology and
population processes to inform conservation and management efforts.
The Zoo supports the project by raising awareness, sending staff to
Africa, and fundraising events
like Brunch for the Wild Bunch. Visit the Zoo's website to learn
more about how Oakland Zoo is Taking Action for giraffes.
Naming Contest Invitation:
The Zoo is welcoming its followers online to help choose the new
giraffe male's name. The polling contest is open now on all their
social media channels later today. His Animal Care staff have
chosen three Swahili names (the language spoken in the reticulated
giraffe's native region):
Enzi (meaning powerful) - pronounced En- see
Nuru (meaning the light) - pronounced Noo-roo
Kovu (meaning scar) - pronounced Koh-Voo
To vote on your favorite name, please visit the Zoo's Facebook,
Instagram, or Twitter. The winning name will be announced on social
media on Monday, May 13.
Contact:
Isabella Linares
Oakland Zoo
ilinares@oaklandzoo.org
Cell: 650 – 776 -9589
ABOUT OAKLAND ZOO AND THE
CONSERVATION SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA:
Oakland Zoo, home to more than 850 native and exotic animals, is
managed by the Conservation Society of California (CSC); a non-profit organization
leading an informed and inspired community in Taking Action for
Wildlife locally and globally. With over 25 conservation partners
and projects worldwide, the CSC is committed to conservation-based
education and saving species and their habitats in the wild.
Oakland Zoo is dedicated to the humane treatment of animals. It is
accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the
national organization that sets the highest standards for animal
welfare for zoos and aquariums.
Media Contact
Isabella Linares, Oakland Zoo,
5106329525, ilinares@oaklandzoo.org, www.oaklandzoo.org
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SOURCE Oakland Zoo