A 3-year-old female giraffe, the sole survivor of the 4 shipped from Africa to the K Kevadia Zoological park in October 2019 is becoming fed with acacia leaves fastened no a different tress by zoo authorities, brought from the fodder farm run by the forest division, outdoors the park.
The giraffes’ fondness to acacia tress is recognized, but authorities at the Sardar Patel Zoological Park, close to the Statue of Unity is not becoming in a position to develop the majestic tree inside the Kevadia safari park, creating them bring the expected quantity from outdoors and acquiring them tied to a different tree to give the animal a sense of ‘natural habitat’, reported IE.
One giraffe died in November 2019 shortly immediately after it was brought from Africa and a different in March final year immediately after suffering from ‘peracute mortality syndrome’, a situation that impacts the species for the duration of season transform. The third giraffe also died final year leaving only the female giraffe behind and now the authorities are attempting, by all signifies, to make it survive.
Every day, close to 20 kilos of acacia leaf branches and twigs are brought to the park for the female giraffe. An officer of the Sardar Patel Zoological Park informed that the forest division has planted couple of acacia trees inside the park but was quickly grazed by the animals there. The second try at planting acacia also failed as the animals would graze the samplings. Acacia trees take 3 years to get to the height from exactly where giraffes uncover it comfy feeding on its leaves. So now they have planted 70 trees outdoors the park and caters for the everyday provide of leaves and branches for the giraffe.
The officials attach the leaves to a different tall tree so that the giraffe can graze on it in a standing position with head raised towards its meal. Its meals also consist of green fodder, all-natural grass and maize at occasions.
Explaining why giraffes are fond of acacia auricuriformis he stated the leaves are exceptionally sweet and because the trees develop incredibly tall, it becomes simple for the giraffes to have its meal without the need of possessing to bend its neck. Earleaf acacia, speedy-increasing, crooked, gnarly tree increasing in the giraffe’s habitat has created a mechanism of its personal to grown thorns and release tannin to deter the giraffe. But the animal has adapted to this and is skilled to browse by means of the thorns to get to the leaves.
The forest management now plans on planting new acacia sampling inside the park with a protective shield so that the giraffes donot fully consume them up even ahead of they have grown up.