Lion Country Safari welcomed another giraffe calf, the third of 2018, at approximately 4:50 p.m. on April 23. The newborn female, Amanzi (meaning water in Zulu), was born amidst an afternoon thunderstorm to the awe of guests driving through the preserve just before closing. She measures 6 feet tall and weighs 167 pounds.
While the two calves born in February have recently joined the rest of the herd, the newest calf can be seen in a maternity area for some quality bonding time with its mother, Lily.
Giraffe reproduce year-round with females giving birth to a single large calf after a gestation period of approximately 15 months. Females give birth standing up and calves are usually able to stand and run within a few hours following birth. Life expectancy of a giraffe is 25 years.
Giraffe are going through a silent extinction, with a 40 percent decline of their wild population in the past three years. There is an estimated 100,000 individual giraffe left in the wild. Lion Country Safari is a partner of AZA’s Giraffe SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program and a supporter of Giraffe Conservation Foundation. For more info., call (561) 793-1084 or visit www.lioncountrysafari.com.
