(WWJ) There's someone new to pay a visit to at the Detroit Zoo.
Female giraffe Zara -- who came from the Peoria, Illinois zoo -- has joined Mpenzi, Kivuli and Jabari in the African Grasslands habitat.
ZaraDetroit Zoo
Detroit Zoo
"We're happy to welcome Zara to the herd," said Scott Carter, chief life sciences officer for the Detroit Zoological Society. "She has a very calm demeanor and seems eager to learn new things."
Zara, 2, came to metro Detroit on breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Program (SSP). SSPs are cooperative management plans that ensure the sustainability of healthy, genetically diverse and demographically varied captive animal populations.
As is customary with new arrivals, the Zoo says Zara was in quarantine for several weeks before she was introduced to the giraffe family at the Detroit Zoo.
"There is serious conservation concern with wild giraffe populations due to poaching, loss of habitat, and the effects of war and civil unrest across Africa. We believe the giraffes at the Detroit Zoo are strong ambassadors for their cousins in the wild," said Carter.
ZaraDetroit Zoo
Detroit Zoo
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared giraffes officially in danger of extinction in 2016. Giraffe numbers have decreased in the wild by more than 40 percent in recent decades, resulting in the species moving to the "Vulnerable" category on the IUCN Red List.
The weather should be just perfect for a visit to the Zoo for the next couple of days, with sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. Visitors should notethere are still some restrictions in place at the Zoo due to COVID-19 -- including crowd limits -- and all indoor areas are closed.
To make a reservation, buy tickets, check Zoo hours and more, visit detroitzoo.org/.
