On February 6, 2021, Ueno Zoo reunited Giraffe mother and calf, "Ringo" and "Hikari" (female), after approximately one year apart. Because Ringo, a first-time mother, did not accept her calf, Hikari was raised through artificial rearing (Announcement).


Mother Ringo (right) and her child Hikari, who lived together (photo taken on February 7, 2021)
Since June 2020, she has been allowed out into the enclosure with her father, Hinata (see announcement), and after that, she finally began living with her mother, Ringo.

To prepare for their cohabitation, we placed the two animals in adjacent rooms within the enclosure from January 14th, as there was a possibility they might be startled if placed together in the open field immediately. This allowed them to get used to constantly seeing each other. Then, on February 6th, we allowed them to live together in the outdoor enclosure.

Immediately after moving in together, both seemed a little wary, but after a while they were seen eating hay side by side. They didn't often actively approach each other, but on several occasions Hikari would approach Ringo to sniff her, startling her. After they continued to live together for a few days, they seemed to understand each other's boundaries and began to live together more calmly.

Hikari was hand-reared and had spent most of her time with her mother, Ringo, through a fence, so we were concerned about whether Giraffe would be able to communicate well with each other. However, they seem to have received different stimuli than before, such as eating hay side by side and Hikari showing interest in what her mother is eating. We hope that living together will have a positive impact on Hikari's growth and the relationship between the two giraffes.

[Toyo Mimatsu, Animal Care and Exhibition Staff, Ueno Zoo West Garden]

(March 7, 2021)