Member Blog: Tambi's big move
How do you move a 3.5 metre tall giraffe 3400km?
In the next month, Melbourne Zoo’s one-year-old giraffe Tambi – the first calf born at the zoo in almost 20 years – will take a “road trip” to his new home at Perth Zoo in exciting news for the Australasian giraffe program.
When you’re a 400kg giraffe, catching a plane is not an option.
“It’s a massive undertaking driving anything to Perth, let alone a giraffe,” says Luke Hausler, Melbourne Zoo’s Ungulates Coordinator.
“We have a specially made trailer for Tambi that’s 4.1 metres tall and about 5 metres long. We’ll hitch that up to a nice big four-wheel-drive and two or three days later we’ll be in Perth.”
Melbourne Zoo keepers and vet staff will make the journey with Tambi (along with many giraffe-approved snacks) after working with the young giraffe for months to acclimatise him to the trailer he’ll travel in. Part of the training included keepers using a Bluetooth speaker to play Tambi highway noises, replicating what he will hear on the road.
“We need to make sure he’s nice and comfortable in the crate,” says Keeper Luke. “Tambi has been a superstar at crate training, which is no surprise to us. He takes to training like a fish to water – he’s a super confident little giraffe. It only took him two days to walk into the crate and four days for him to feel comfortable with doors closed.”
Tambi has diverse genetics that make him valuable to the giraffe breeding program in the region. He needs to move on while he’s still small enough to transport, but it’ll be hard to say goodbye.
“Tambi has obviously touched our hearts here at Melbourne Zoo,” says Keeper Luke. “It has been such a privilege to work with him for the last 12 months and watch him grow. He had a wobbly first few days and now he’s just belting around the paddock and leading his little brother Zambezi astray. We’re really excited for Tambi to meet the herd over in Perth – maybe find a couple of girlfriends as well.”
Tambi doesn’t have an exact departure date just yet, but if you’d like to come and say goodbye, we encourage you to visit during the spring school holidays.
Tambi has touched the hearts of so many of our members, and we’d like to thank you for all the visits, support and excitement you’ve shared with him since the day he was born.
