Written by New Giraffe in Tel Aviv
A good news story with which to kick off this post and a very welcome addition to another baby giraffe in Israel. The Ramat Gan Safari Park near Tel Aviv is the home of the latest addition, as yet unnamed.
There were one or two nervous moments during the birth, particularly when the calf’s legs became tangled around it’s neck, but veterinary staff from the park were on hand to help the mother and ensure a successful birth. The process then resumed without a hitch and the calf was up on it’s feet within the hour, being doted on by it’s mother. Have a look at the birth video below:
The mother’s name is Dikla and the name of the calf will also begin with ‘D’ – a naming convention which is well-established at the park.
The Ramat Gan Safari Park is a 250 acre site in an unusual location, set within a busy urban area and referring to itself as “Africa in the heart of Israel”. It contains 1600 animal species including 68 species of mammals, 130 species of fowl and 25 species of reptiles and is the largest such facility in the Middle East. It’s also a renowned centre of research in the region and because of it’s location is an ideal place to go to see African animals in a natural environment.
Second Giraffe Dies At Vancouver Zoo
Last week we reported how Amryn, the youngest giraffe at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, had died suddenly after what the zoo authorities described as an unknown illness. To add to the bad news, the death of the four year old giraffe was followed five days later by her mother Eleah. This death also appears to be unexplained.
At the moment the zoo authorities are making no link between the deaths of mother and son, describing the events as a sad coincidence and reiterating the fact that both giraffes were in excellent health right up until their demise. Eleah had showed no adverse effects following the death of Amryn. Although the weather has been slightly colder than normal, this is not a factor, says the zoo. It also says that it’s indoor and outdoor enclosures are perfectly adequate despite some criticism from other quarters.
Zoocheck Canada is an organisation which monitors Canadian zoos and it’s director is Rob Laidlaw. He says that “giraffes are particularly sensitive animals and facilities like the Greater Vancouver Zoo are simply not designed to keep them in enclosures.” Laidlaw goes to say that giraffes are “dropping dead all over the place“, and suggests that giraffes are a very social animal and without that contact they will suffer.
With this in mind, it’s good to know that staff at the Greater Vancouver Zoo are keeping an extra watch on their one remaining giraffe; he’s Jafari and is the father of Amryn and 11 years old. Vets are still in the process of performing autopsies on the animals but those results are not expected to be available for at least another month.
