Christmas came a bit early this year at Safari West. On November 8th at about 3 in the afternoon one of our giraffes, a beautiful female by the name of Mara, went into labor. Our hoofstock keepers had been keeping a close eye on Mara for several months as she closed in on her due date so this wasn’t a complete surprise. As you might imagine, however, when it comes to the wild animals under our care, predicting an actual, specific due-date is next to impossible. Giraffe gestation can last anywhere from 13 to 15 months and so rather than “she’s due November 8th,” it’s more like “she’s due sometime in the next few months”. It can make for a really fun game of wait-and-see.

Once Mara began to calve, the hoofstock department leaped into action. There’s a good deal of activity and stress when an animal as big as a giraffe gives birth. Nikki Smith, our Animal Collection Supervisor and Hoofstock Manager closed out her day with Mara and her impending newborn even as she prepared to celebrate her own birthday coming the following day.

Nikki has been caring for the collection here for the last nine-and-a-half years. To say that this wasn’t her first rodeo would be an extreme understatement. We’re lucky that our animals are hearty and pretty self-sufficient when it comes to the miracle of birth. While they don’t often need our keepers to step in and help, we have staff on hand in case things go sideways all the same. So around their standard workload caring for the several hundred other animals on the property, Nikki and team also stayed close to our calving mama.

Thankfully, Mara is an experienced mom and the delivery went smoothly. Just as the sun began to set on that chilly November evening, Mara (with Nikki at her side) welcomed our newest giraffe, lucky number 13, and our first baby girl in nearly five years. She’s a spirited animal checking in at around six-feet tall and weighing about 130 pounds at birth. Within a day and a half, we had her out in the barnyard stretching those long, beautiful legs of hers and meeting her herd-mates from over the fence. Less than a month later she’s become such a bundle of energy and activity we’ve had no choice but to let her out to play in the giraffe lot that borders the tent cabins. She just runs and runs.

Since her birthday, this little giraffe has already tacked on an additional three inches to her height and filled out considerably. She’s the spitting image of her mother and incredibly popular with the young boys who spend the day in the Giraffe Lot with her. This morning she’s been galloping energetically around the habitat while her older playmates follow her like curious puppies. Really tall, long-necked puppies.

The naming of animals here at the park is a terribly exciting, occasionally mysterious, and always a special event. Some animals are named by our guests, like Gizmo Jaxon the patas monkey born back in August. Others are named in honor of staff members and supporters, like Waldie the rhinoceros (named in honor of Waldie Scheffler who helped build Safari West). The naming of this newest giraffe was as easy as it gets. This baby girl is the first female giraffe born to us in a good, long time. Born under the watchful eye of our hoofstock manager and in the closing hours of the day before her own birthday, it’d almost be weird not to name her after Nikki. So, it is with tremendous excitement that Safari West introduces to you, Nikki the giraffe! As excitable, hard-charging and energetic as her namesake, both Nikkis can now be found scampering about the barn seven days a week (maybe only six for the keeper if she can swing a day off).

Happy birthday to both of you, Nikki and Nikki, keeper and giraffe!