Visitors to Al Ain Zoo are now able to admire its two newest arrivals – hippopotamus and giraffe calfs.
The female hippopotamus, which was born earlier this autumn, can be viewed at the zoo’s core exhibit, while the female Nubian giraffe, born in late spring, has joined the Mixed African Exhibit.
“We are delighted to welcome the new-borns to the zoo, and to introduce them to our visitors for the very first time,” said Muna Al Dhaheri, acting chief conservation & education officer at the Zoo. “They are young, curious, and enjoying the cooling weather, and as such it is a great time for visitors to come and meet them as they settle into their new homes.”
One of nine sub-species, the Nubian giraffe is native to the wooded grasslands and savannahs of Africa, from eastern Sudan to northeast Congo. Each animal has a unique pattern of large four-sided brown spots, with pale underbellies and legs. Their populations in southern Africa are expanding, while elsewhere in Africa the species in danger of extinction.
The hippopotamus is listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. This is due to the significant decline in their population in the past three decades.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
