UAE: Newborn giraffes to be released into world's largest man-made safari

Dubai - The Al Ain Zoo is preparing the young giraffes to be re-homed in the Safari area, where visitors can feed them and enjoy up-close interactions

By Staff Report

Published: Mon 11 Oct 2021, 9:20 AM

Last updated: Mon 11 Oct 2021, 10:08 AM

Al Ain Zoo will release newborn Rothschild’s giraffes into Al Ain Safari to live alongside the existing group of 12 individuals in the largest man-made safari in the world.

The integration of the young giraffes with the adults is part of its wildlife conservation programmes and strategies to breed and increase the numbers of Rothschild’s giraffes, a sub-species that has been added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of endangered species, Al Ain Zoo said in a Press statement on Monday.

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The newborn giraffes receive special help from their animal care specialist to build a strong connection through a programme based on positive reinforcement and behavioural training, which mainly aims to facilitate the interactions necessary for providing animals with their daily needs.

A few months after their birth, the baby giraffes are weaned and ready to eat alongside their mothers. Then, they start to receive help in learning to feed independently by being introduced to different types of food by their animal care specialists.

The whole process results in the zoo preparing the young giraffes to be re-homed in the Safari area, where visitors can feed them and enjoy up-close interactions.

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It is important to note that the newborn giraffes are initially kept with their mothers, separate from other giraffes and the other African animals within the Safari, and once the weather starts to become more moderate and the giraffes are ready, the zoo starts gradually introducing them to the rest of the group.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com