Kimi, a giraffe boy living at the Riga Zoo, has met a new girlfriend. Two-year-old Vakillia was brought from Austria. The zoo hopes that in a couple of years a baby could be expected from a pair of giraffes, however, everything depends on whether the animals will develop mutual sympathy, says TV3 News.
In order for Vakilija to get to the giraffe boy Kimi, the Riga Zoo, in cooperation with the giraffe coordinators, carried out more than a month of preparations to find a genetically suitable giraffe girl. Vakilija was transported from Schmiding Zoo in a specially designed, well-equipped, four-meter-high trailer, constantly monitoring the animal’s behavior in video surveillance cameras. The journey from Austria took two days.
In nature, female giraffes become adults between the ages of three and four, but in captivity, maturity may occur a little earlier. However, given that giraffes are usually quite public, it is hoped that Kimi and Vakilija will soon go out for a walk in the large outdoor paddock.
“For now, we’re just focusing on getting used to Kimi.” In order to have contact, let’s see, we will have to try maybe in a month, maybe not this year, ”says Tatiana Ivasenko, the head of the Mammal Department of the Riga Zoo.
For now, Kimi sees her new girlfriend very reserved. The zoo hopes that in a couple of years, a pair of giraffes can still expect a baby, but it all depends on whether the animals will develop mutual sympathy.
The last time a giraffe was born at the Riga Zoo was in the 1970s. The young giraffe will be able to celebrate his two-year birthday on August 9 alongside Kimi, who has just celebrated his 14th birthday. Every visitor to the zoo can also arrange a gift for Kimi’s girlfriend.
“On August 9, I would invite everyone to congratulate little Vakilija on her two-year anniversary with her gift. You can open the website, see how she arrives in Riga, and with her support, donate a birthday present to her, ”says Anete Bilzēna, a member of the board of the Riga Zoo.
In less than two years, three of the four Rothschild giraffe males transported to Latvia in 2007 and a year later had died at the Riga Zoo, leaving Kimi in the giraffe’s house. The life expectancy of these animals in nature was 10–15 years, but two of the oldest giraffes in the Riga Zoo had reached the age of 18 years.
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