Kamili, a beautiful 20-month old female giraffe, arrived at Orana Wildlife Park last night. She was transferred from Perth Zoo, travelling almost 6,000km to Christchurch. She crossed the Nullarbor desert from Perth to Melbourne before embarking on a 7-day sea voyage to Lyttelton.

This morning, Kamili completed MPI checks and has now being fully introduced to Orana’s herd of three females and our young (unrelated) male named Mabuti. She will be in quarantine for the next three days but fully visible to Park visitors.

Orana’s Manager of Exotic Species, Rachael Mason says: “we are delighted to welcome Kamili to Orana – she is a very pretty giraffe and a confident young lady. We are thrilled with how well she has settled in. The planned introduction to our four giraffes went brilliantly and I’m delighted we now have a herd five of these majestic gentle giants.”

Kamili has ancestral ties to Orana Wildlife Park as her father, Armani, was born here in 2002! Perth Zoo Senior Keeper, Kaelene McKay, travelled with Kamili to Christchurch. “Kamili has now completed the reverse trip to the journey her father undertook many years ago; she has returned to family.”

“I’m delighted how well she has handled the move. This transfer is a great example of how zoos work collaboratively together. This morning, Kamili marched straight out of the crate and is now making friends with her new herd – it’s like she’s been here forever!”

Kamili was transferred to Orana as part of the managed regional breeding programme for this increasingly threatened species. Giraffe populations continue to decline due to habitat loss and poaching.

“Obviously Kamili is too young to breed at this point, and our bull Mabuti is only a young man. This transfer was completed with the aim that in time Kamili will contribute to the preservation of her species. The last giraffe born at Orana was in 2012 - Harriet, who still lives here and is in fact Kamili’s auntie” concludes Rachael.

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