Auckland Zoo giraffes going to Australia

Chlidonias

Chlidonias

Moderator
Staff member
15+ year member
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4767213a26642.html
Two giraffes will make their way through busy Auckland traffic today as they begin their maiden voyage across the Tasman.

Auckland Zoo's one-year-old Forrest and his half-sister 16-month-old Ntombi, are crossing the ditch to begin new lives at Australian zoos.

The 'cruise' will take seven days, with the ship docking in Tauranga to collect more freight before sailing to Sydney. Once there, the leggy twosome will travel by road to Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, central New South Wales.

Ntombi will remain at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, while Forrest will be one of the first giraffes to call Australia Zoo home after he completes a quarantine period with Ntombi.

Acting Pridelands team leader Nat Sullivan said moving giraffes between zoos is a "tall order", requiring considerable preparation both prior to boarding and during the voyage.

Forrest and Ntombi are 3.3 to 3.4m tall and weigh approximately 500kg each. They will stay in their crates throughout the voyage and sleep standing up, as all giraffes do.

On board 'giraffe luggage' will include 100kg hay, 25kg pellets and 60kg vegetables, tools to make any adjustments to the crates and medical supplies. Total freight with giraffes on board is six tonnes.

The siblings will be accompanied on board by acting curator Michael Batty and zoo vet Dr John Potter.

"Both giraffes have been 'crate trained' to enter their 4.2m high crates and be as comfortable as possible. They have also been vaccinated and micro-chipped with identification information," Ms Sullivan said.

"We are hoping that the current settled weather we're enjoying will continue and keep the seas smooth - which should help the giraffes to find their sea-legs quickly."

Forrest and Ntombi are very supportive of each other, so completing the trip together and having visual access will bring them added comfort and security," said Ms Sullivan.

"The loss of Forrest and Ntombi will be sad for the zoo and in particular we think Rukiya, who is Forrest's mother and has cared for Ntombi after the death of her mother Kay earlier this year, will feel their absence."

"However, their relocation is to diversify bloodlines with future breeding, and we hope Rukiya will also breed again here at the zoo."

Departure route and information

* The giraffes will travel on two trucks and are expected to put their heads out of their crates, so people should be able to see them as they go past

* The giraffes will depart Auckland Zoo at 2pm

* They will travel via Great North Road to Karangahape Road, then down Symonds Street and Anzac Avenue to the Ports of Auckland

* Their expected arrival at the port is 3pm
Click to expand...
 
Childonis thank you for this news. Austalia Zoo are really diversifying now, tigers, elephants, cheetah, rhino and now giraffe.
 
Thanks for the news I was really excited when they firsty got the Rhinos, now Giraffees!
 
Is Forest going to be the alpha male in a new herd..? Or is he joining an established herd..?
 
NZ Jeremy said:
Is Forest going to be the alpha male in a new herd..? Or is he joining an established herd..?
Click to expand...

Forest is still too young to breed but I'm not sure what the make-up of the AZ herd is. Perhaps he will be joining a juvenile group. He will be missed as he was a really nice animal. Hopefully we will have the patter of not so tiny feet again at Auckland soon. :)
 
I don't think that Australia Zoo has any other giraffes yet, Mark could probably confirm this.
 
Good point, I should have checked their site. Perhaps then little Forest will become their alpha male.
 
Monarto Zoo in South Australia has probably about 20 giraffes, and so if Australia Zoo is searching for that species then they don't have to look overseas for stock.
 
snowleopard said:
Monarto Zoo in South Australia has probably about 20 giraffes, and so if Australia Zoo is searching for that species then they don't have to look overseas for stock.
Click to expand...

The Monarto herd is quite closely related to the Dubbo herd, the other large herd in Australia. The herd in New Zealand is a bit more remotely related, that's why, when I herd(:rolleyes:) that the Australia Zoo was getting a male from NZ, I thought they might get their females from Monarto - less inbreeding.
 
The issue of genetic diversity is the thing that dictates where you source breeding stock from. With giraffes in particular there is the additional issue of preventing hybridisation. The sub-region has a detailed breeding programme and stock is moved around in order to maximise this diversity whilst also maximising the purety of the species of giraffe each institution holds.
 
how many of the nine subspecies does Australia have? I just know we have Rothschild's
 
giraffes in australia arent managed at a sub-species level, are they? there are critically few founders for giraffes in Australia, most are descended from an original two imported to taronga in the early 20th century.
a female rothschild giraffe imported to Melbourne Zoo in the 1990s joined rothschilds at Perth (also sourced from other regions) but offspring from this program has been subsumed into the wider hybrid herds managed by ZOOS SA, ZPB of NSW as well as smaller holders such as Mogo and the National Zoo in an effort to reduce inbreeding. Taronga's previous breeding male was also an import, but was a hybrid.
the pure Melbourne and Perth populations see some form of exchange but there is verly little breeding activity; most of the giraffe breeding in this country occurs at TWPZ or Monarto, which maintain the hybrid populations but also hold some pure rothschilds which came into the program to add genetic diversity.
the two giraffes being imported to Australia would have to represent some newish bloodline to the Australian population; as hybrids the cost of their import would otherwise not be justified. in the past New Zealand has acquired giraffe from North America and other regions who's genes can hopefully be integrated into the Aussie herd.
either way, the giraffe in Australia is not managed so much as to maintain genetic diversity; more so to prevent serious inbreeding.

fluctuations in Australia's quarantine policy towards giraffes have led to fluctuations in exactly what zoos in this country were doing with the species. logically, in spite of all the hassle of importing pure rothschilds, the region as a whole now breeds giraffes for display only and cooperatively the zoos seek to integrate as wide a gene pool as they can by breeding hybrids.
AI woul be so much easier...but I guess no where near as exciting as giraffes blocking sydney traffic
 
These two giraffes were born at Auckland from hybrid mothers and a genetically pure Rothschild father. The father came from Orana which keep a pure rothschild herd. The rothschilds at Perth also came from Orana, the four females are two sisters and the daughters of one. The father of one of the younger females at Perth is Anthony, who is now at Werribee. He is also the father of the breeding male at Melbourne zoo. So really all the rothschilds in the region have sprung from the Orana herd. Which I think only had four founders.
The breeding males at Monarto, Dubbo, Auckland and hopefully soon Wellington are all pure blood rothschilds descned from the Orana herd. Now that they are being integrated with the hybrid herd soon the zoos will once again face the problem of finding unrelated males as breeders.
 
Just generalising I tink its great that Australia many keeps one of the rarest types of giraffe, and I personaly think they look the most beautiful,
 
I read in the paper yesterday Forrest is the first giraffe to go to AZ...
 
Do Giraffes get lonely??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top