Baby Giraffe » Noah's Ark Zoo Farm

Baby Giraffe
19-06-2012

Noah's Ark has welcomed it's first ever Giraffe calf in the form of a hybrid male who they have named George. His mother is a Pure Reticulated and father a Hybrid Baringo....
The Press Association: Baby joy for zoo's smitten giraffes

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New Giraffe

20-06-2012

I would love to say excellent news for them,which it is,but its bad news for the Giraffe studbook as its yet another Hybrid Giraffe that didn't need to be born.So now when anyone visits Noahs they can see hybrid Giraffes and zebras all in the same paddock,cannot think of anywhere else in the UK that can make that claim!!!!

20-06-2012

Was thinking earlier, looking a couple of years into the future unless they opt to sell him (and can find a mug willing to buy him!) then will they have any choice other choice than to castrate and keep him? Because with them being none Biaza, Eaza or EEP I'd assume he wouldn't get a place in any of the exsisting managed batchelor groups within the UK (at least the recieving collection would be going against EEP by taking him off NAZF??)

20-06-2012

I would of liked for NAZF to send the male they have away (The question is where?) and bringing a new pure bred Reticulated in but I doubt that very much.

20-06-2012

Probably better if they sent the female away, assuming it is pure bred , and bring in more hybrids! How did they get the female in the first place?

20-06-2012

Well it wasn't sent to them on breeding loan.

20-06-2012

Just send them to the US, all of our giraffes, except for a few (and all the Masais), are hybrids.

20-06-2012

...or to Australasia - we need them more than the USA!

21-06-2012

Sending the female to a collection holding pure Reticulateds(take your choice from Colchester, Whipsnade, or (is it?)AA) would be better but that isn't why they obtained her as they did.

Noah's Ark doesn't feel like a Zoological 'collection' to me- it is a number of large 'Zoo' animal species (plus a few smaller ones+ domestics) living on a farm. The set-up is very unorthodox and as they are now, I am not sure if they would ever be accepted into the more formal Zoological circles or memberships, or if the plan to keep Elephants will become a reality if they have similar problems finding them as they seem to have had in sourcing some of their other animals- giraffe, tigers etc.

21-06-2012

I think Africa Alive can claim hybrid Giraffes and Zebra in the same paddock, unless they have in more recent months moved on the hybrid individuals (anyone?)

I believe AA keep their pure breed Giraffes (Reticulated) seperate from the hybrids to prevent what has happened here.

22-06-2012

I am sure they do. I imagine their intention is to phase out the hybrids and concentrate on the purebreds as a number of other UK zoos have done/are doing.

22-06-2012

Suffolk Wildlife Park maintain a pure herd of Chapman's Zebra,and do not have any Hybrid Zebra within the collection,so my comment stands that Noahs have the only Hybrid Giraffes and Zebras in the UK in the same enclosure

22-06-2012

Ah, I see now!!

I initially read your first post as hybrid giraffes and zebra, as in zebra species!!.

22-06-2012

Not a problem I could have made my post a bit more clear in what I mean't.