Good to see work starting. Hopefully they will be speedy and the girls can move over soon. I know it will take weeks if not months. I just want them to move and for more giraffes to arrive. Having just two giraffes has bothered me since Ginetta died. I just dont want anything to happen to one of them leaving the other one alone while the zoo scrambles to find a replacement. They are social animals and even if we just were able to add a single male right now it would be an improvement.
I also hope the giraffes will be able to move into their new exhibit soon.
You bring up an interesting point about there being only two giraffes. If one did pass away, I don't know how easy it would be to acquire another one. Hopefully with a new exhibit, the Toronto Zoo will be able to get more giraffes soon.
I believe based on the SSP, if lets say Twiga passes before we can get more females, there is a very strong chance we could get a suplus male bachelor herd. That would mean Mstari would have to go but I think a bachelor group is possible. They want more Masia giraffe keeping zoos so letting males come up wouldnt be hard because we would be freeing spots for more genetically valuable males and females.
On the other hand we could send Mstari away and get Reticulated/Rosthchild's hybrids fairly easily. THey have the larger population.
Luckily the Masai SSP coordinator knows we are building a bigger better exhibit and we plan on keeping a breeding herd. Twiga is the most genetically valuable female in the whole program. At 23 or 24 she's unlikely to breed again but its still possible. The SSP before the 2014 one had Stripes as one of the most valuable males... I cant remember his exact ranking. That means Mstari is a top ranking female as well. The AZA wants them breeding if possible for Twiga and as soon as possible for Mstari. We were offered two different males, Joey from Brevard and Miles from Houston. Whether they will be the ones we get by the time the exhibit is ready and the girls move is anyones guess but we can get males easily.
It's the females we will have problems getting. The SSP said they would look at giving us more females once they are born. At that time Mstari wasnt born... not that the SSP didnt know she was coming, her gender was a mystery... and Ginetta was alive but not to be bred anymore. Now that Ginetta is gone and we have a new young female who will be a breeder in the future that might change our priority to get more females. We could either have a young breeding herd soon or be denied more females because we have a potential breeder. Hard to guess.
What I would love to know is will they bring in the new male prior to moving the girls or after? I can see both sides. Bring him in early and he can spend his quarantine in the new giraffe house. Its not like the zoo has other facilities that can hold a giraffe in the quarantine area right? Wait... didnt someone say Tantor used to be housed with the hippos... Maybe there is still space in there? But then again moving the girls first would let them get used to their new home before being exposed to a new animal. Perhaps they could quarantine the new male in the old house and just not destroy it until he clears quarantine. Oh so many questions surrounding the arrival of potential herd mates.
The work has been going on since the beginning of April, on the interior at first and starting last week on the grounds.
I am worried about moving Twiga over safely - it must be tricky moving a giraffe anytime, and she is a 24-yr-old who has never been anywhere. Asked a savannah keeper about it, who said they are worried also.
Last year in Australia, a young giraffe was moved in a modified trailer, driving nonstop 3500 K and arrived safely.
I did know the inside work has been going on but no one has been allowed in to see that work. Construction equipment in the yard is the first visual evidence we all have that they are really trying to get things done for this summer.
I think any time any animal moves everyone is concerned, regardless of age, gender, species. It can be a difficult, stressful time for the animal. Thankfully for Twiga and Mstari they are just moving across the savanna. Once they are loaded into the crates and on the trucks moving and releasing them again probably wont take more than an hour or two. So the stress of confinement wont be long. The new exhibit might be scary for them but its on the same property so the smells will be similar. And unlike a usual zoo to zoo move they will have the comfort and support of all of their keepers, not just one.
It might be stressful and scary for Twiga and Mstari but it's really the best move possible for them. Short travel time, they have each other, they will have all their keepers who know how to comfort and reassure them and vets farmilar with them. And even if Twiga might have troubles she will fight to make it through right now because she has Mstari to care for. Her instinct to survive for her baby will still be strong.
I don't think the keepers would be as worried about Twiga if they still had Ginetta. All their major concerns would be on the old girl. Without her and her death being still so recent and fresh in the keepers minds they might be more prone to worry about Twiga.
Things happen though. Even with the best precautions and conditions. All we can do is hope for the best and if the worst happens hope the SSP will get us new animals fast.
I know that Twiga and Mstari are being crate trained and from what I heard, they are doing pretty well. I'm sure that if either of the giraffes isn't ready to be moved, the zoo won't move them.
I think the concern though isnt so much in the physical moving of them. It is in the stress of a new place. The zoo would never move them unless they were ready to be moved but they cannot prepare them for a new exhibit, new sights, new sounds, new smells, ect. I'm sure it will be fine and we are all concerned for no reason. Twiga will strut out into her new home happy, healthy and confident.
