North American Masai Giraffe Population

I agree he was a good daddy giraffe. He was transferred outside of the AZA to Safari Enterprises in Texas in July 2015. I do not know if he remained at that facility or if he was subsequently moved elsewhere. He was born on July 27, 1996 so he'd be 26 now if he's still alive. It's not unheard of for a male to reach that age, but I don't think it's common.

 

Does anyone know where Buttercup at Oregon Zoo is going? Heard he was leaving. Thanks

 

Toronto and Calgary are about to swap their males, likely this fall. Nabo will arrive to breed with Mstari and Amani in Toronto. Kiko will replace Nabo in Calgary to breed with Emarah if that's even possible given her history and a young female due up from San Diego Zoo though she will need time to mature first. I have no idea when the female is set to arrive or her name. She was born in January of 2021.

 

The San Diego Zoo female's name is Eleanor, born on 1/30/21 to Harriet and Fred.

 

Her name probably wont stay Eleanor. Calgary has a habit of renaming its giraffes. Nabo was originally Crosby. Emarah was Marcie. Kiko's name will probably be changed too.

 

Its a facility policy, any new high profile African animal gets an African name, if it doesn't already have one. They did it with one of their hippos too, from Ghost (since he was born on halloween) to Lobi.

 

1.0 was born at Columbus to parents Zuri and Enzi:

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Really glad Enzi was able to sire at least one more calf. Hopefully Jana and Digi are pregnant as well! It’s unfortunate that it’s another male calf but at least he’s genetically valuable.

 

Virginia - calf #9 for Imara was born this morning! And sire is as always, Billy. Sex is not confirmed yet but hopefully it’s a female calf as we’ve had so many male calves born this year (and only 1 surviving female).

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I understand that female calves may hold a different significance to the SSP population, but, we don't need to belittle the birth of any male calf. I've seen this done plenty of times in multiple population threads. We have no actual knowledge of the genetic value any animal may hold in the future, so to disparage the birth of a male calf is extremely ignorant. This was a conservation success for the Columbus and Virginia Zoos regardless of the sex of their calves. We should rather applaud the achievement and recognize that such affairs are out of anyone's control.

 

Exactly. It's not like the zoo had any choice in the baby's sex either.

 

I do not think that anyone sharing disappointment in the sex of offspring produced is in anyway blaming the facility for the sex of the offspring nor are they saying that the facility or its patrons cannot celebrate or take pride in the birth --That said, at the end of the day, for those interested and invested in animal populations and population sustainability, reproductively viable females are the driving force behind growing sustainable populations, and are thus more valuable. This is especially true for herding or harem species like giraffe and other ungulates, where a single male will cover a whole herd or population of females. In such populations, female offspring will always be more valuable because they are the future, they dictate the numbers of animals being born and growing the population. Populations of herding or harem species can very easily become too male heavy, which becomes a problem when there is not enough space in collections for these surplus males and not enough females to replenish the population as individuals die off. The okapi population is teetering on the edge of disaster after years of limited female births and with less than two dozen reproductively viable females. A female calf from the currently pregnant females Asili or Kayin would be infinitely more valuable than a male calf. Only in very rare occasions are populations ever female-heavy to the point that male offspring would be more desirable.

 

I'm not in anyway trying to say that the zoos involved are any less important to the SSP than zoos that are producing female calves. Don't think anything I said was aimed towards the zoo in question... like it has been stated, obviously zoos aren't purposely choosing to have male calves. Like Kudu said, female calves are very often more desirable for breeding programs than their male counterparts (especially for hoofstock species). That being said, any healthy calf is a cause for celebration (especially for a species like the Masai giraffe which generally has high mortality rates) and I don't think I've ever refrained from showing enthusiasm when discussing or announcing the birth of a calf no matter its sex (even if I'm slightly disappointed it's another male).

Overall, I apologize if anything I said came across as ignorant but it's a fact that female calves are more important to many hoofstock populations but I don't think I've ever said anything to discredit a zoo for producing a male calf.

Edit: re. your point about the calves being genetically valuable, that is true for some calves which is why I said Columbus' calf is valuable (through his father Enzi) in my reply. However, the SSP struggles to find space for many male calves of less genetic value within AZA zoos and they are often sent to the private sector. It's true that females are sent to the private sector as well ocassionally but it's less common considering females can be kept within the herd vs males who will end up getting pushed out/separated from their natal herd at some point.

 

Does anyone know where Buttercup is going from Oregon?

 

Masai giraffe calf born September 9 is a female:

Virginia Zoo welcomes baby giraffe, the 5th addition to the zoo’s herd

"Zookeepers named her Tisa, the Swahili word for nine, to symbolize her birthdate and that she is the ninth calf born to her mother, Imara."

"Tisa brings the herd to five, which includes: one adult male, Billy; two adult females, Imara and Noelle; and Noelle’s calf, Mchanga, who was born in December."

 

3-year-old male Aidan moved recently from Brevard Zoo to Kansas City Zoo. He joins females 28-year-old Mahali, 10-year-old Makali, and 3-year-old Chandy, and is intended to breed with the latter two.

 

Greenville - 0.1 Providence will be transferred to another zoo for breeding by the end of the month. And her parents, Miles and Autumn, should have another breeding recommendation.

 

Do you have a source for this?

 

Sorry, it appears I forgot to add in the source, it was posted on their social media pages:

Greenville Zoo on Instagram: "The Greenville Zoo will soon bid bon voyage to Providence, our 20-month-old Masai Giraffe. She will be departing the Zoo later this month based off a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. She will get the chance to start her own family in the near future! Join us on Monday, October 17th, for a going away party for our sweet Providence. Stop by the giraffe exhibit from 11am-1pm to sign Providence's going away card, watch special giraffe enrichment, and learn more about giraffe conservation!"

 

1.0 Aidan has been transferred from Brevard Zoo to Kansas City Zoo:

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article267787922.html

He has a breeding recommendation with 3-year-old Chandy and 10-year-old Makali.