Tulsa Zoo Receives Two Female Giraffes
The Tulsa Zoo is proud to announce two female giraffes are now calling Oklahoma home.
A four-year-old giraffe, Lexi, arrived from the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, Mo. and a two-year-old, Pili, arrived from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kan. Both females will join the Tulsa Zoo’s male giraffe, Samburu sometime this month.
The two giraffes were transported separately by the Dickerson Park Zoo, which has a trailer specifically designed for giraffe transport. Because the zoos are in such close proximity, the two female giraffes arrived within days of one another. The Tulsa Zoo’s staff veterinarian, Dr. Kay Backues, also accompanied the transports of both animals.
The two new females are not the only new additions in the giraffe exhibit. The giraffe barn has been fully renovated and the new Mary K. Chapman Giraffe Experience has been completed. This African themed observation deck will give guests an eye-to-eye encounter with the giraffes that will eventually include an opportunity for guests to actually feed the giraffes.
The new giraffes will have a quarantine period that is standard for all new animals. This time allows them to adjust to their new home and exhibit mates. It is hoped that Samburu will eventually breed with the two new females, who sexually mature at age four.
Updated 06-28-2011
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