Auckland Zoo giraffes going to Australia

okapikpr said:
No there are other bloodlines in the US...I really havent fully comprehended the ancestry of US giraffes so ask any questions and I'll research it for you.

Zuri is descended, with some inbreeding, from 7 founders imported by Hemmingford, QB via Longleat (Uganda import) and San Diego (Kenya import). Zuri is unrelated to Jaffa and Celeste.
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The US situation is particularly interesting as it is rumoured that - as okapikpr writes - most giraffes in the rothschildi - reticulata basket are considered hybrids. It is a peculiar situation.

Judging by the above: the Longleat individuals are pure rothschildi (no doubt) and the Kenyans ex San Diego could be anything reticulata, rothschildi, tippelskirchii or even rothschildi hybrids ...

It be interesting to know about the US situation regarding giraffes (perhaps a new thread in the offing ;))!

Jelle
 
Within Australasia there are two taxonomic giraffe groups Rothschild’s Giraffe and subspecies hybrid giraffes, both management units are combined and managed in a single Giraffe Studbook.
The first giraffe to arrive in the Australasian region was a wild-caught male, imported to Taronga Zoo in 1926. Taronga imported several more animals from various parts of Africa in the late 1920s and early 1930s and Adelaide and Perth zoos also imported wild-caught Giraffes at this time. Many of these animals were of a known subspecies.
apparently 18.17 animals have been imported into australasia, since the first import in the 1920s. and although the current group carries 88% of their genes the current population does show a high inbreeding correlation and high mortality.
hence the importance of mixing things up with this import
 
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dragon(ele)nerd said:
Was it a large transfer due to, e.g cause of the herd getting too big??? or relatives reaching maturity??
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The first one came over in 1965 (?), called John for the establishment of a new breeding herd (I think Auckland had a female or two at that time) but they had to have a few importations before the first successful births...
 
NZ Jeremy said:
The first one came over in 1965 (?), called John for the establishment of a new breeding herd (I think Auckland had a female or two at that time) but they had to have a few importations before the first successful births...
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Alrighto thanks, so it wasn't like a group of them moving over at one time.
 
37 Giraffes at Monarto as of yeasterday!!

1 male headed for weribee shortly
 
Zooman has there been births at Monarto recently and do you know which male is going to Werribee?
 
jay said:
Zooman has there been births at Monarto recently and do you know which male is going to Werribee?
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Could not answer either of these question sorry mate.

Giraffes are not my thing. Was informed about these facts today. I would stand by my post though.
 
yeah I'm not too flash with Giraffes as well sorry, um, if a male is going to Werrribee does that mean he isn't going to be used for breeding? Last time I check there were only two males there Anthony and Kinta.
 
I visited Werribee in October and the guide told us that the zoo was going to start a breeding herd and were preparing facilities for it. My guess is that the giraffe going to werribee would a son of the breeding male, Tambo, who is a grandson of Anthony.
 
Auckland giraffes safely cross Tasman - New Zealand, world, sport, business & entertainment news on Stuff.co.nz
Auckland Zoo's young giraffes have made it safely across the Tasman to their new home in Australia.


One-year-old Forrest and his half-sister, 16-month-old Ntombi, set sail for Australia on November 20, traveling in custom-built crates on board a cargo ship to Sydney, then by road to Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, central New South Wales.

Auckland Zoo spokeswoman Abi Smith said the pair arrived at Taronga on the weekend and were introduced to some new friends.

"Ntombi was all over them," she said.

Ntombi will remain at the zoo, while Forrest, following a quarantine period, will be the first giraffe to call Australia Zoo home. Australia Zoo was founded by the late Steve Irwin, otherwise known as the crocodile hunter.

Both giraffes were born at Auckland Zoo as part of a Australasian breeding programme and were being relocated to diversify bloodlines.
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there's a photo on the link too, of the other giraffes saying hello
 
Ii hope they are doing well and Forrest wont miss Ntombi too much! Im going to miss those 2! Auckland Zoo is my local zoo and It looks kinda empty with only 2 girrafes in the pridelands now!
 
It was quite a stange site, a large crate with a curious head poking out driving up the main street.
 
haha i saw pictures and wish I got to see them but I only found out they were going soo soon on the day so couldnt go see!
 
I wonder if they ship the crate back empty..? They'd have to be quite rare/expensive...
 
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