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Wellington Zoo's new giraffe arrives
11 April 2008
Seun, Wellington Zoo's new male giraffe, arrived on the morning of 11 April following a long journey from Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch.
Check out Seun's journey on The Dom Post website http://www.stuff.co.nz/4475796a6000.html ‘We are very excited about getting a new giraffe and hope that Seun will form a breeding pair with Zahara, our young female giraffe. He will be the first giraffe brought into Wellington Zoo since Tisa, our older female, arrived in 1991 from Melbourne Zoo,' said Suzette Nicholson, Husbandry Manager. ‘Although we are sad to see Seun go, this transfer is positive for the regional breeding programme and demonstrates how zoos work collaboratively together. Animal transfers are always a stressful time but we are confident this will be a relatively straightforward process. Hopefully, Seun will breed and produce youngsters at his new home,' adds Orana's Animal Collection Manager, Ian Adams. ‘Moving a giraffe requires a great deal of planning, as they are not the easiest animals to transport. Seun is young and relatively small though, standing at around 2.8 metres tall and weighing approximately 300 kilograms. He was transported to Wellington in a specially designed and built crate,' said Suzette. ‘Seun was put on board a ship in Christchurch at around 6.30pm on the evening of 10 April and arrived in Wellington at 7.30 on Friday morning. He was accompanied by our Wellington Zoo vet and a zoo keeper from Orana Wildlife Park during his 13 hour ship journey.' ‘He was then offloaded at CentrePort in Wellington onto the back of an Orbit Heavy Haulage truck before being driven through the streets of Wellington up to the Zoo in Newtown. At the Zoo, he was transferred onto a telehandler to be driven into the African Savannah exhibit - his new home.' ‘Once at the Zoo, he was taken into the new giraffe house at the Zoo, where he will remain inside for a week or so while he is introduced to Zahara and Tisa and to get used to his new environment. However, visitors to Wellington Zoo should still be able to see him during this time,' said Suzette.  
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