Disney�s Animal Kingdom Welcomes Fourth Baby Giraffe This Year
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What�s in the giraffe drinking water at Disney�s Animal Kingdom?
(October 10, 2008) Walt Disney World Resort is having a bit of a baby boom this year with the birth of a fourth baby giraffe. Entering the world at 6-feet tall and 155 pounds, Bonsu delighted members of the animal programs team at Disney�s Animal Kingdom in the early morning hours, Sunday September 28.
Bonsu�s name is inspired from the Akan language in Ghana and means biggest and strongest fish in the sea. He is the fourth male, and 11th giraffe overall, born at Disney�s Animal Kingdom since the park opened in 1998. He is also the second calf for his mother Nikki, whose first offspring, a female named Rori was born in 2006. She can be seen today on the savannah at Disney�s Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Animal programs team members welcomed three other giraffes earlier this year;
- Makena, whose name means �Happy One� in Swahili was born on Leap Day February 29 weighing in at 118 pounds and five-five, six inches tall.
- Marley was born March 14 and weighed 122 pounds and stood just under six feet.
- AJ arrived March 27, standing about six feet tall, and weighing in at 145 pounds at birth.
- The typical gestation period for a giraffe is approximately 15 months.
- An adult giraffe�s neck alone can measure up to 7-feet, and their tongues can be as long as 18 inches.
- Giraffes also have their own set of
unique skin markings, similar to a human fingerprint.
- Giraffes at Walt Disney World Resort are bred through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Population Management Plan, which is a consortium of zoos and wildlife parks working together to conserve and breed animals.
- Disney�s Animal Kingdom theme park and Disney�s Animal Kingdom Lodge are accredited by the AZA. With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation.
When these giraffe calves grow up, each of them could be as tall as 15 � 18 feet. The newest calf and his mother are doing fine and are expected to rejoin their herd on the savannah at Disney�s Animal Kingdom in the next few weeks.
Fun Facts about Giraffes
Disney Animal Kingdom�s breeding program
-- Posted October 10, 2008