Endangered giraffe calf born at Whipsnade Zoo during meteor shower | Whipsnade Zoo
News article on the brilliant news!
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2025
- Thread starter Lafone
- Start date
Endangered giraffe calf born at Whipsnade Zoo during meteor shower | Whipsnade Zoo
News article on the brilliant news!
How come it says they have five giraffes with this new calf. With the two older calves, did the mother of one of them die as well as the male?
There's 2 females, Luna and Ijuma, who both had calves last year, Timba and Myra.
So with the new one, there's 5.
A good visit to Whipsnade today, highlights were:
The new baby female giraffe.
Three Aardvarks Dobby has been joined by Tafari a male, and Nacho a female transferred from Jersey zoo.
Four Nyala antelope in a small makeshift area between the ostriches and the lions.
The new baby female giraffe.
Three Aardvarks Dobby has been joined by Tafari a male, and Nacho a female transferred from Jersey zoo.
Four Nyala antelope in a small makeshift area between the ostriches and the lions.
It's a short birth interval but this new calf helps to consolidate the group after the loss of the male.
When was the last time ZSL held Nyala? Early 1990’s?
Would like to know where the Nyala came from.This is fantastic news! I can't wait to see them on my next trip, it will be great to finally have another collection in the UK that hold them and one so close to home
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Don't know but I can't see the Nyala listed on the Africa Alive website now and they did have them before.
Benmad1994
Member
Just checked in Zootierliste and Africa Alive does still hold the Nyala, they also don’t specify they have Nile Lechwe on their website either but sadly I think it’s because the antelope corner of the zoo isn’t as popular as the rest of the zoo and therefore they aren’t advertised as much as others.
I wonder if two of them came from Twycross Zoo as they had two females in with the Giraffe but they’ve since left the collection.
Pandaboi
Well-Known Member
The last Nyala at Twycross passed away in January iirc. They’ve held a single individual for a few years.
You can't always trust Zootierliste as read- it may not have been updated. I presume they haven't (?) been imported though, due to the current difficulties. I see that the other UK holders are Edinburgh and Newquay so there are only 3 possible sources if they come from within the UK.
I think Luna was born under similar circumstances. Her father Uno passed away during Ijuma's pregnancy. Strangely poetic in a way.
I did make a visit summer of 2024 and Bashu was showing a lot of "interest" in Luna. She wasn't having any of it being more interested in the calfs.
Visited yesterday. The new giraffe is very very sweet.
The African hunting dogs pathway was completely closed off, with stand-off barriers quite a way away from their house and a sign saying they were 'having a rest' and 'currently off show'.
Could anyone give a bit more detail on where specifically the nyala are in between the lions and giraffes? There's a scrappy bit of yard opposite the rhino where we couldn't see anything and which seemed open to the ostrich anyway.
The African hunting dogs pathway was completely closed off, with stand-off barriers quite a way away from their house and a sign saying they were 'having a rest' and 'currently off show'.
Could anyone give a bit more detail on where specifically the nyala are in between the lions and giraffes? There's a scrappy bit of yard opposite the rhino where we couldn't see anything and which seemed open to the ostrich anyway.
Albert Thomas Budd
Active Member
JoB198, I was also there yesterday, and the nyalas are just north of the lion entrance opposite the rhinos.