Gentle giants welcomed to Werribee Open Range Zoo
A wave of excitement is sweeping through Melbourne’s west today as a trio of juvenile Giraffes step onto Werribee Open Range Zoo’s Savannah for the first time.
One-year-old male Giraffes David and Wayo [pronounced: Way-ow], and two-year-old Jesse are settling into their new surroundings after arriving from Australia Zoo in Queensland and Taronga Western Plains Zoo in New South Wales last month.
The curious Giraffes have completed their routine quarantine and are becoming acquainted with a bachelor herd of four adult Giraffes and other species including Southern white rhino, Ostrich, Plains zebra and antelope.
Werribee Open Range Zoo Savannah Life Science Manager Dominic Moss said the young arrivals are instantly recognisable because they are much smaller than their adult counterparts.
“David, Wayo and Jesse are still growing and measure just three to four metres in height and weigh between 550 and 630 kilograms,” Mr Moss said. “That may seem big in isolation, but this pales in comparison to our five-and-a-half 1,500-kilogram fully-grown adult Giraffe.”
Werribee Open Range Zoo cares for a bachelor herd of Giraffes as part of its commitment to the Australasian zoo breeding and conservation program for this species that is classified as vulnerable. The trio have moved as they have reached an age where Giraffes leave their natal group to join a bachelor herd, replicating what occurs in the wild.
“The young males will learn important life skills from Werribee Open Range Zoo’s Giraffe herd, including new feeding, drinking and sleeping locations and how to build relationships with the various species they will encounter on the Savannah,” Mr Moss said.
Mr Moss said David, Wayo and Jesse each had their own interesting, individual personalities.
The trio have moved as they have reached an age where Giraffes leave their natal group to join a bachelor herd, replicating what occurs in the wild.
“David is very gentle and likes engaging with his keepers. He’s more confident when around other Giraffes but he can often be seen laying down and enjoying some quiet time on his own. Wayo is calm and contemplative and likes to stand back and assess situations. He also loves carrots and solving enrichment puzzles. Jesse is confident and inquisitive and is very food motivated, which means he loves participating in training sessions. He is a natural leader and generally very relaxed.”
Wayo, which means footprint in Swahili, was named because he had wobbly legs and needed a gentle nudge from his mother’s hooves to help him stand after birth. Both David and Jesse were named at Australia Zoo in honour of generous philanthropic donors to the international charity Wildlife Warriors.
Giraffes are native to Africa, however their wild populations are in decline and fewer than 70,000 remain in the wild due to habitat destruction and illegal poaching.
Werribee Open Range Zoo visitors have the opportunity to see the new arrivals on a savannah bus tour that run throughout the day and are included with entry.