Home » Woodland Park Welcomes Giraffe Baby, & Hosts A ‘Bear Affair’

Woodland Park Welcomes Giraffe Baby, & Hosts A ‘Bear Affair’

Our newest giraffe, Hasani, in his therapeutic shoes.  Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, for WPZ
Our newest giraffe, Hasani, in his therapeutic shoes. Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, for WPZ

On May 2nd, the family at Woodland Park Zoo welcomed Hasani (hah-SAW-nee,) a baby giraffe born to Olivia and Dave, after a 15-month pregnancy.

Hasani, whose name means ‘handsome’ in Swahili, is the first off-spring of his 12-year-old mom and 6-year-old dad.  He was born with a not-uncommon condition called hyperextended fetlocks.  This means his rear feet are not in normal alignment.  However, Hasani is receiving excellent care, from the Zoo keepers, the veterinary team, and renowned equine specialists – and he has been given a custom pair of therapeutic shoes that should correct the problem, in time.

The Zoo has more on the story of Hasani (click here) on its blog.

While Hasani and Olivia won’t be on display, there are still plenty of other reasons to stop by the Zoo.  On Saturday, June 8th, from 9:30a – 3:30p, the Zoo will host ‘Bear Affair’ presented by Brown Bear Car Wash.  Animal keepers will talk on bears, wolves, raptors, and more, about what these native Pacific Northwest animals need in order to thrive in the wild, and peacefully co-exist with humans.  Also, the grizzly brothers will demonstrate bear-safe tips, and what goes wrong when food and garbage aren’t stored properly.

The Zoo has plenty of critters to see and learn about.  Find out more on the Zoo.org, or stop by and say hello to all our neighbors at Woodland Park.