Masai giraffes grace the Santa Barbara Zoo. The zoo announced that two of the giraffes, Adia and Audrey, are pregnant.
Two endangered Masai giraffes, Adia and Audrey, are pregnant at the Santa Barbara Zoo.
Adia is due in January 2022, and Audrey is due in July 2022, the zoo announced Friday.
This will be Adia’s second calf. Her first calf, Twiga, was born in March 2020.
This will be the seventh calf for Audrey. Her most recent calf, Amirah, was born in March 2018 and is now at the Sacramento Zoo.
The gestation period for a giraffe is about 15 months.
With the addition of two new calves, 10 Masai giraffes will have been born at the zoo since 2013, nine of which were sired by the Zoo’s adult male giraffe, Michael.
“We’re excited to welcome another Masai giraffe to our herd and continue to contribute to the population of this endangered species,” Dr. Julie Barnes, the zoo’s vice president of animal care and health, said in a statement. “This is a great example of the critical work done at the Santa Barbara Zoo with our incredible animal care team.”
According to a news release, Michael is the most “genetically important” male Masai giraffe in North America. He was brought to the Santa Barbara Zoo from Canada in 2011.
Eight of Michael’s calves have moved to other accredited zoos through a cooperative breeding program among members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, according to the news release.
The giraffes currently residing at the Santa Barbara Zoo are among the more than 120 Masai giraffes that live at 28 different North American zoos.
email: mhirneisen@newspress.com
