On June 29, 2015, a new Giraffe joined Eurasian Moorhen area of Tama Zoo. This Giraffe, who came from Saitama Children's Zoo, is a male who just turned two years old and his name is "Jill."

　
Left: Jill on her first day at the park Right: Jill (right) and Ami during their courtship
Even though it was her first time in the room, Jill remained calm and ate her food. So, the next day, we let her out and introduced her to the other Giraffe through the fence, and she was able to meet most of Giraffe without any problems.

Only Kansuke, the adult male Giraffe, was necking (shaking his head and neck against Jill), but after a while he calmed down and they were able to interact at a good distance from each other.

Conversely, Jill seemed to dislike being out of sight of the other Giraffe, and didn't often go into the room alone to eat. Since the initial meeting went smoothly, we decided to introduce her to the other Giraffe on July 8th.


The day they joined the flock. Jill (left) and Natsuki
Eurasian Moorhen area displays several types of animals together, but on that day, we took the approach of releasing only Giraffe into the enclosure first, and then gradually introducing Jill to them. This was to allow her to enter a group in a calm environment without other animal species present.

When Jill entered the enclosure, the female Natsuki began walking behind her. She didn't seem to have any intention of attacking; in fact, she seemed to be protecting Jill. Jill didn't seem to dislike Natsuki either, and the two walked around the enclosure together.

Another caring female named Ami was also keeping an eye on Jill, but Natsuki kept getting in the way, preventing her from getting close. Thankfully, there was no fight between Jill and Kansuke, which we had been worried about, and for the time being, Jill was able to join the group without any problems.

Natsuki is Giraffe does things at his own pace rather than paying attention to his surroundings, so his interest in Jill was unexpected. Also, as a result of Jill's arrival, we have seen unprecedented changes in the other Giraffe, and it seems to have been a positive stimulus. We look forward to watching Jill grow into a magnificent male, and we also hope that it will bring more vitality to Giraffe herd.

[Tama Zoo, Tama Zoological Park]

(July 24, 2015)