A Tall Tale: Wildlife World Zoo Announces Giraffe Birth

A few weeks ago, the keeper staff at Wildlife World Zoo welcomed the arrival of a newborn giraffe. It took keepers a few days to confirm whether it was a he or a she. So far, the approximately 6-foot-high infant male is doing well. Over the next few weeks, the "little" male along with his mother Tommi will be introduced to the rest of the herd on public display.

Currently, Wildlife World is home to five giraffes including Tommi's daughter born in 2006. "Once again, Tommi has proven to be an attentive mother," comments Jack Ewert, Deputy Zoo Director. While their species is from the sub-Sahara plains of Africa, Tommi is truly an Arizona native having been born at the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson. Young giraffes grow rather quickly -- this young male should double in height within a year -- still far too short to reach the outstretched, pellet-filled hands of visitors standing on the zoo's popular Giraffe Feeding Station hoping to feed the tallest land mammal.

Male giraffes can reach heights of 16 to 17 feet whereas females are usually a little shorter. Their long necks enable them to browse tree limbs for leaves. In addition, their footlong tongue is sticky and helps to extend their reach! Despite their height, giraffes have the same number of vertebrae in their necks as most mammals, seven. The individual bones are simply elongated compared to other mammals such as humans.

The Wildlife World Zoo is located at 16501 W. Northern Ave., Litchfield Park, AZ 85340. We are open 365 days a year, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Daytime admission is $16.99 for adults and $8.99 for children 3 to 12, children two and under are free. For more information contact Mickey Ollson, Zoo Director, or Antoinette Cancellaro, at (623) 935-WILD (9453) or visit www.Wildlifeworld.com.