It was my dream to see a giraffe born.” Kelley ventured outside with mom Miya approximately one month after his birth, and is now one of the park’s major attractions. “Kelley was the first giraffe born in the park. “We were a bunch of first-timers,” says Benji. “We’re here at 6:10 – the ungulate (hoofed mammal) staff and ourselves.” Kelley was born at 8 a.m. At birth, the male calf weighed 175 pounds and stood 6 foot three inches from head to toe. Sunday morning,” explains Benji Alcantar, one of the park’s two onsite veterinarians. Just two months earlier, on May 15, they were joined by the park’s newest celebrity, baby Kelley, the first giraffe born in the park’s 44-year history. “We got the call that the legs started poking out at 6 a.m. “It’s like seeing a whole bunch of different animals,” she says. On this summer day, baby animals, including six lion cubs and eight bison, remain close to their mothers. As Mate, the 18-foot male giraffe lumbers up the road ahead of us, tour guide Sheilah Swanson explains that the animal activity at the park changes throughout the day. Sheilah recommends visitors get to the park first thing in the morning, take the tour, and go around again the end of the day. Keeper talks are offered daily.ĭuring the 4.5-mile drive-through loop, we’re treated to close-ups of wildebeests, hippopotamuses, grizzly bears, lions, elephants and even the new national mammal, the American bison. Other amenities at its Safari Village include a children’s petting zoo, a village train, a full-service cafeteria and gift shop. Open year-round, Wildlife Safari also hosts a walk-though exhibit displaying some of the zoo’s smaller animals.
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