In a record-breaking event, a healthy giraffe calf was born on January 23 at Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
“This little male is the fifth calf to be born here at the Zoo since June last year, and this is the first time we’ve had five calves so close together in age,” giraffe keeper Bobby-Jo Vial said.
After a smooth delivery, the calf was standing and suckling within an hour, and was named Shomari, which is a Swahili name meaning ‘forceful’.
“Shomari is thriving, meeting all his early milestones and settling into the herd,” Vial said. “As he grows in confidence over the coming weeks, he will spend more time with the other young calves.”
The birth of the calf means the Zoo now has 14 giraffes in the main herd, with another seven in the African Savannah section of the park.
The Zoo’s successful breeding program comes at a time when giraffe numbers have been declining in the wild over the past decade due to habitat encroachment, snares, civil unrest, and poaching.
It is estimated fewer than 117,000 wild giraffes exist.
JULIA GARDINER