Caring for Congo
With thousands of animals in our care representing hundreds of species, there are so many stories of keeper dedication. Everyone on the team jumps into action to help when a mother can’t care for a newborn or the little one is orphaned and needs special attention that can last for days or even months. Last summer, Safari Park keepers found themselves hand raising young Congo, a male giraffe that lost his mother soon after birth. Caring for giraffe calves is a tall order in many ways. They would normally nurse for a year, so when their mother is gone the keepers may need to coax the youngster to drink from a milk bottle. Luckily, Congo’s keepers were able to bottle-feed him at the Paul Harter Medical Veterinary Center until he was two months old. Next, he was transitioned to a boma, or barn, in the East Africa exhibit and paired with two-year-old Leroy, another calf that was also bottle-fed. Our goal is to introduce youngsters to their family group as soon as possible. The next challenge was hoping he could be bottle-fed in the field exhibit, from the back of a keeper truck. Congo drank 2.6 liters of milk formula with gusto 3 times a day, finishing his bottle in 5 minutes! Even after joining the herd and making friends with other young giraffes, Congo still comes running when his keeper arrives with a bottle. Your support helped us give Congo’s story a happy ending and encouraged us to support giraffe conservation with our partners in Kenya, including the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
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