ABU DHABI // The Sir Bani Yas island wildlife and nature reserve has announced the arrivals of a male and a female giraffe calf.
The calves were born after a 15-month gestation period and will nurse for a year, staying with their mothers for up to two years before becoming more independent.
The new additions bring the number of reticulated giraffes on the island to 37.
“We are pleased to welcome these latest additions to our wildlife family,” said Marius Prinsloo, general manager of Sir Bani Yas corporate operations.
“The healthy calves are a result of our breeding and monitoring programmes that ensure the island is a haven for a diverse wildlife population.”
The reticulated giraffes, native to the African savannah, eat leaves and buds from treetops and can go for several days without drinking water.
The males can grow up to 5.5 metres and females up to 4.5 metres tall. Their long legs allow them to run at speeds of up to 56 kilometres per hour.
“Since the breeding programme’s inception on Sir Bani Yas, the island has successfully contributed reticulated giraffes to various reserves and private institutions across the UAE,” Mr Prinsloo said.
“This contribution offered a great range of opportunities to raise awareness about these unique mammals.”
Sir Bani Yas, an 87-square-kilometre island off the coast of Abu Dhabi, was developed into a wildlife reserve by the late Sheikh Zayed.
More than 13,000 free-roaming animals and birds – including oryx, gazelle, deer, ostrich, giraffe and cheetah – call the island home. Its name originates from the Bani Yas tribe who first inhabited Abu Dhabi.
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