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We are thrilled to share that in the early hours of May 12, 2020, the Toronto Zoo welcomed a Masai giraffe calf into the world! This is the first offspring for both mother Mstari and father Kiko and is now one of three Masai giraffes living at the Zoo.
To celebrate this exciting new addition, we have launched our Room to Grow campaign to raise $70,000 to enhance the giraffe house to better accommodate our growing (and very tall!) giraffe family.
The modifications will:
Increase available space by reconfiguring the existing rooms and equipment
Allow for better access to the giraffes by Wildlife Care staff and the veterinary team
Incorporate features to improve enrichment, educational and monitoring opportunities
This is the first offspring for both mother Mstari, a six-year-old female Masai Giraffe born at the Toronto Zoo, and father Kiko, a seven-year-old male who came to Toronto Zoo from Greenville Zoo in South Carolina in 2015. The pairing of Kiko and Mstari was at the recommendation of the AZA Masai giraffe Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative breeding program among accredited zoos.
Masai giraffes were listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in December 2018 after an observed 50% decline in the wild giraffe population over the past 30 years. The Toronto Zoo is part of the AZA Masai Giraffe Species Survival Plan (SSP) and continues to support field conservation efforts for the species. Mstari is currently the most genetically valuable female in the SSP, and so her calf represents an important genetic contribution to the North American population.
The Toronto Zoo has had 19 giraffes born since 1980, and this birth represents the first third-generation Toronto-born giraffe - both Mstari and her mother, Twiga, were also born at the Toronto Zoo.
Donate today to help enhance the giraffe house!
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