Just three weeks after Masai giraffes were declared as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Santa Barbara Zoo has announced both of its adult females are pregnant. The zoo’s adult male Michael is the sire.
This is the first pregnancy for Adia, age 5, who arrived in December 2017 from the Cleveland Zoo as a potential mate for Michael. She is due in April 2020.
Audrey, who is 11 years old, is due in July 2020. She has had four calves with Michael, most recently Amirah, born in March 2018, who remains a member of the zoo’s giraffe herd.
“The number of Masai giraffe in the wild is significantly declining, and the population under human care here in the U.S. is relatively small. So every single giraffe born at the zoo helps keep their species genetically diverse and thriving,” said Dr. Julie Barnes, the zoo’s vice president of animal health and care.
Michael is the most genetically important male Masai giraffe in North America, as he is only related to his offspring. He was brought to the zoo from Canada in December 2011 and has since sired seven calves.
Five of the calves have moved to other accredited zoos as part of a cooperative breeding program among accredited members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
“In the wild, young giraffes often leave their natal herd to breed. Calves born here at our zoo go to other AZA zoos so their important genes are passed on to maximize genetic diversity,” Dr. Barnes said.
Giraffe gestation is about 15 months, and pregnancies are confirmed through hormone analysis of fecal samples.
Giraffe calves sired by Michael include: Dane, now at Fresno Chaffee Zoo (Audrey), April 18, 2013; Sunshine, now at Cameron Park Zoo, Waco, Texas, (Betty Lou), April 28, 2013; Buttercup, now at Oregon Zoo (Audrey), Nov. 13, 2014; Asha, deceased at Toledo Zoo following an accident (Betty Lou), March 14, 2015; Parker, now at Seneca Park Zoo, Rochester, N.Y. (Betty Lou), Aug. 6, 2016; Chad, now at Franklin Park Zoo, Boston (Audrey), March 26, 2016; Amirah, at Santa Barbara Zoo (Audrey), March 14, 2018.
The Santa Barbara Zoo’s Masai giraffe herd currently numbers four: Michael, Adia, Audrey and her calf Amirah. It is anticipated Amirah will soon move to another zoo as part of the AZA breeding program.
Another female, Betty Lou, arrived at the Santa Barbara Zoo in 2010 and moved to the Fresno Chafee Zoo in 2018 after producing three calves.
On July 11, the IUCN announced Masai giraffes are endangered, primarily because of poaching and changes in land use. Of the nine subspecies of giraffes, Masai (the largest) and reticulated giraffes are endangered, and Nubian and Kordofan (KOR-doh-fan) giraffes are critically endangered.
Currently, there are an estimated 35,000 Masai giraffes, but their population has fallen by nearly 50 percent in the last three decades. Africa’s overall giraffe population has decreased by up to 40 percent in that same timeframe.
To learn more, visit www.iucnredlist.org/species/88421036/88421121.
For more about the Santa Barbara Zoo, visit www.sbzoo.org. The zoo is open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m.. General admission $18 for adults, $13 for seniors age 64 and older, $11 for children 2-12, and free for children under age 2. Parking cost is $11.
— Julia McHugh for Santa Barbara Zoo.