Giraffe Calf a Double Surprise for Park Staff

Giraffe Calf a Double Surprise for Park Staff

Yesterday morning, Orana Wildlife Park staff arrived at work to find that Giraffe Tunu (7) had given birth to her first calf! Whilst keepers were aware that she was pregnant, staff were expecting her to birth mid May. Harold (18) is the father of the new calf.

Animal Collection Manager, Ian Adams, says: “It was fantastic to come to work and find that we had a perfectly healthy calf born overnight. When Giraffes give birth during the day it is very stressful for staff as they await the arrival of the calf. There were no signs even on Saturday night that Tunu was ready to birth - they normally go quiet and don’t eat before the birthing process starts.”

“We did have some concerns yesterday as it took the calf a long time to feed from Tunu. But over the course of the day, Tunu became more relaxed which meant the calf could feed well and everything is fine now.”

“We are also delighted that Tunu has produced a female calf. The baby is just the second female Giraffe born at the Park in fourteen years! In total, Harold has sired eleven calves and the latest is only his second girl.”

Tunu was transferred to Orana in 2005 from Melbourne Zoo where she was born. “Compared to our other two females, Nathalie and Zuri, Tunu is a bit more nervy. We had been concerned about how Tunu would progress considering it was her first pregnancy. However, she has done a great job.”

“This little girl is absolutely beautiful and visitors will enjoy meeting her. We are thrilled that another female has been born as in time she will make a valuable contribution to the zoo-based breeding programme for her species” concludes Ian.

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