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Buhle and Gia have joined the Johannesburg Zoo, adding to its growing attractions, such as the Spice Route and Amazonia.
New arrivals at the Joburg Zoo: Gia and Buhle settle in
THE Joburg Zoo has added two long-legged
beauties called Gia and Buhle to its animal collection. The two giraffes were
bought from a Namibian nature reserve in November 2008 to boost the zoo's
breeding programme after an older female cow died the previous year.
A very keen Jerry and his offspring, Bangkok - the only
giraffe calf to be born in an African zoo - are already showing the right kind of
interest in the new ladies. But the two five-year old cows are still a bit
young for breeding.
For now they are settling in nicely, and
their condition has already improved, says Lorna Fuller, the zoo's
nutritionist, who is keeping a watchful eye on them.
The zoo ensures that each giraffe gets
about 34 kilograms of food every day, consisting of lucerne, chopped vegetables,
animal pellets and a bunch of carrots. And for dessert they get a selection of
branches and twigs to browse on from local varieties such as white stinkwood,
mulberry and oak.
Fuller says not all trees are suitable for
browsing, and in some instances only the new, light green foliage of the trees is
used, since the darker, older foliage can be indigestible - and even toxic - if
consumed in large quantities. Mulberry
branches are always a good standby browse as these trees grow like weeds all
over Joburg.
The zoo has a long list of browse suitable
for giraffes and people are welcome to deliver cut branches of these species to
its service entrance in Upper Park
Drive, Forest
Town. These donations
become especially critical in winter months when browse is in short supply all
over the city.
Letta Madlala, the zoo's brand and
communications manager, says giraffes are still quite common outside parks and
reserves but the Johannesburg Zoo is delighted to be home to the two newcomers
as their presence will enrich the lives of the current herd.
Upgrades
A visit to the zoo should never be a hurried affair as there is always
something new to grab the interest. The zoo is all but done with its massive
upgrade, which included creating distinct zones such as the Spice Route with its Madagascan exhibit,
and Amazonia, complete with a Mayan
Temple.
The farmyard was also upgraded recently,
together with the entertainment area next to the Tree of Lights, and the
chimpanzee enclosure.
Work is progressing well on the Temple of Snakes, which will house some of the
most poisonous specimens under one roof. Weekends are perfect zoo family days -
especially on Saturdays when many of the more exciting animals are fed.
Feeding starts at 12 noon with the polar
beers. Seeing the two massive bears belly-flopping like children into the water
to retrieve their ice-lolly snacks is sheer delight for the crowds. Real fusion
food, the big lollies are made of fruit juice and stuffed with apples and
sardines.
Next up are the wild dogs, which run excitedly
along the little pathways in their enclosure, knowing that food is coming. They
get fed either horse meat or beef, sprinkled with a good dose of garlic powder
to keep away the flies.
Dominic Moss, the curator of the carnivore
section, has to reassure the crowd that the alpha female who is hording all
four pieces of meat will eventually allow the subservient female to eat.
Last in the feeding line are the four cheetahs,
which have sensed from the commotion nearby - and probably the strong garlic
smell - that their food is also on the way. Yowling like impatient puppies, they
each get thrown a big chunk of meat, and then hurriedly scoot off in different
directions to eat in peace.
It is these close-up experiences that make
the Joburg zoo one of the most rewarding and affordable family outings in the
city.
The Johannesburg Zoo is open daily from
8.30am until 5.30pm. Adults pay R38 to enter; schoolchildren and pensioners pay
R22 each; school and welfare groups fork out R16 per group. It is in Jan Smuts Avenue, Forest Town,
with the main entrance in Upper
Park Drive.
For more information on donating browse, contact Kenneth Nekhumbeni on 011 646 2000 ext 249 or
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
at the Johannesburg Zoo.
The most favoured trees are Mulberry and Celtis (stinkwood) species of trees in summer, but they lose their leaves in winter. Winter trees are the most needed and include indigenous Acacia species, all Rhus species (Karee trees) and Olea species (wild olive).
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