Orana Wildlife Park giraffe calf

Chlidonias

Chlidonias

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just born on the 1 May, a bit earlier than expected. This one is a female, which the staff are quite happy about. There's a video on the link

Day-old baby 1.7 metres tall - news - the-press | Stuff.co.nz
A curious, gangly three-day-old giraffe will give Christchurch something to smile about, says an Orana Wildlife Park keeper.

The 1.7-metre calf was born at the park early Sunday morning and was already up wobbling around on her shaky legs yesterday.

Staff were expecting the calf's mother, Tunu, to birth in mid-May and keeper Robert Clifford was surprised when he discovered the newborn in the weekend.

''I walked in and she was just standing there," he said.

"They [giraffe calves] are awkward and gangly but so cute.

''Christchurch has been through a lot recently so if anyone needs something to smile about just come out and have a look at one of these.''

Animal collections manager Ian Adams, who has worked at Orana Park for over 30 years, admitted to having a soft spot for the baby giraffe.

''She is just absolutely gorgeous,''he said.

Adams has been given the responsibility of naming the latest addition to Orana Park's diverse family but said he would have to get to know her before he could find an appropriate name.

It was mother Tunu's first birth and Adams said she was progressing into her maternal role well.

''On Sunday morning she was more interested with her food then her baby, but this is a whole new thing for her. She is a first-time mum and is slowly realising that she has to be responsible now,'' he said.

The little giraffe was sniffing people through the bars of its pen yesterday and Adams said its curious nature was typical of giraffes.

''They are such easy going animals and they have no fear,'' he said.

One in five giraffe calves born in captivity are male and this baby was the second female giraffe to be born at the park in fourteen years.
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Tunu is the female born at Melbourne Zoo in February 2004 to male Makulu (who was born at Perth Zoo) and female Twiga (who came from the Rhenen Zoo [Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen] in the Netherlands). As far as I can tell, Tulu is a misspelling of Tunu.

On Orana's website they call her Tunu.
 
Chlidonias said:
Tunu is the female born at Melbourne Zoo in February 2004 to male Makulu (who was born at Perth Zoo) and female Twiga (who came from the Rhenen Zoo [Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen] in the Netherlands). As far as I can tell, Tulu is a misspelling of Tunu.

On Orana's website they call her Tunu.
Click to expand...

That is the one I thought. At Melbourne they called her Tulu, with the L.
 
ah OK, so I guess technically that makes Tunu a misspelling of Tulu :D
 
Chlidonias said:
ah OK, so I guess technically that makes Tunu a misspelling of Tulu :D
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Don't you love this. Because I benag to doubt my information I did some searcing on newspaper databases and came up with this.

Neckin' time for Tunu.Section:NEWS--NATIONAL.
Source:Press, The, 26/03/2005, pA1.
Document Type:Article.
Abstract:A1It is a tall order and Melbourne Zoo keeper Kelly Hobbs has words of comfort for one- year-old female giraffe Tunu as she begins her journey to Christchurch's Orana Park. It is hoped Tunu will provide the park's breeding programme with sought-after female offspring. The Rothschilds giraffe left Melbourne on Wednesday, and is being shipped in a 4m crate to Dunedin before travelling by road to Christchurch early next week. Orana Park zookeeper Aaron Gilmore said Tunu would join females Nathalie, 16, and Zuri, eight, and would, hopefully, keep close company with Harold, 10. The park, which is part of the Australasian Rothschilds Giraffe Breeding Programme, has had success, with two males born last year. Tunu will spend a month in quarantine before any prospect of pregnancy.

So it looks like I was wrong and it was always Tunu:o
What I found interesting though is that the article says that they hope she will produce female calves and voila, the first is indeed a girl.
 
Sadly the giraffe calf has been euthanased after collapsing.

Baby Savannah dies suddenly - news - the-press | Stuff.co.nz

Orana Wildlife Park's two-month-old giraffe calf Savannah has died.

The female calf collapsed on Saturday morning and was treated by a vet, but continued to deteriorate.

Later that day, staff and the vet decided it was best to euthanase her.

An autopsy showed Savannah had an untreatable stomach ulcer.

Orana Wildlife Trust chief executive Lynn Anderson said staff were "absolutely gutted" by the loss.

"[Savannah was] absolutely cute. Even at two months old she would absolutely melt your heart. She was gorgeous."

The calf seemed healthy and showed "no outside symptoms" until Saturday morning, Anderson said.

"The keeper went in first thing to check the animals as we usually do, and [Savannah] was lying down and didn't get up. The vet was called immediately,'' Anderson said.

"We're all very, very sad about this. I guess it never makes it any easier, but working with animals we do need to accept that sometimes these things do happen."

Savannah was "ultra-special" as she was only the second female giraffe to be born at the park in 14 years.

"It's a sad loss for the breeding programme as she would've been an important female going forward," Anderson said.

"It's also very sad as she was [mother] Tunu's first calf ... She's definitely feeling the loss."

Tunu gave birth to the curious, 1.7-metre calf on May 1.

Savannah was due in mid-May, so her arrival surprised keeper Robert Clifford.

''I walked in and she was just standing there," he said at the time.

"They [giraffe calves] are awkward and gangly but so cute.

''Christchurch has been through a lot recently, so if anyone needs something to smile about, just come out and have a look at one of these.''
Click to expand...
 
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