Gemina the “crooked-necked giraffe,” one of the Santa Barbara Zoo’s most recognizable and beloved animals, has returned to the zoo – even though she passed away in 2008.
Her distinctive top six vertebrae, skull, and jaw-bone have been preserved and reassembled, and are on view in a display case as part of the zoo’s “Animals Inside Out” art exhibit in the Discovery Pavilion’s Volentine Gallery.
The exhibit is free to view with zoo admission, and also includes radiographs (X-rays) taken of the zoo’s animal residents, including lions, flamingos, California condors, and snakes, among others.
Gemina’s skeletal work was completed by Skulls Unlimited, and the display case was provided free of charge by TruPart, a Ventura company.
“Gemina is still the most asked-about animal at the Zoo, and she’s been gone for eight years,” Zoo Director Nancy McToldridge said. “It’s good to have her back, to remind us that being different s special.”
A generation of local school children grew up with Gemina. The Baringo (or Rothschild’s) giraffe was born July 16, 1986, at the San Diego Wild Animal Park (now the San Diego Safari Park), and lived 20 of her 21 years at the Santa Barbara Zoo.
Her neck disorder first appeared when she was around three years old, and developed slowly over the years. The cause is not known, but it did not keep her from living a full life, including eating normally, giving birth to a calf, and being an accepted by the Zoo’s giraffe herd.
She did not appear to be in discomfort, and her demise in 2008 at age 21 was consistent with the challenges of old age in giraffes. Median life expectancy is 19.5 years for female giraffes in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA); 21 is considered elderly.
Gemina appeared on both national and local television, including the 2005 television show “Miracle Workers” as the source of inspiration for a young boy with severe scoliosis. In 2007, she was voted Number One by local residents in a list of “Seven Wonders of Santa Barbara” on a local radio station poll. That same year, her 21st birthday was celebrated at the Zoo and included a birthday serenade by her many fans.
Gemina was the subject of Gemina the Crooked-Neck Giraffe, a whimsical children’s book written and illustrated by Karen B. Winnick that was released in 2013. It is available in the Zoo Gift Store and all sales go directly to the Santa Barbara Zoo. A posable plush giraffe, also inspired by Gemina, is also for sale.