Three young females from BIOPARC's herd of seven giraffes move to the Cabárceno park in Cantabria, which once again has this iconic species after the terrible fire it suffered last year.
BIOPARC Valencia has completed the transfer of three giraffes, three young sisters born within the Valencian reproductive group, sfollowing the guidelines of the international conservation program (EEP) of the species. The danger of extinction of the subspecies of the Rothschild giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi), also known as Baringo, led to the creation of the EEP to guarantee the survival of the species with sufficient genetic variability, making it equally necessary to avoid inbreeding. bIOPARC has participated in this program from the beginning and its contribution has been very important., since several of the giraffes born in the park have gone on to form other groups in different animal parks.
This is one of the most complicated animal transports and occurs within the European Conservation Program (EEP) of which BIOPARC is a reference and whose objective is to generate a “genetic reserve” that guarantees the survival of the species.
The destiny of these giraffes is Cabárceno Nature Park, Cantabria, which last year suffered a horrible fire that caused the loss of three giraffes. After intense work to recover and reconstruct the enclosures, the time had come to receive a new group of this emblematic African species. The physical peculiarities of these animals, the tallest in the world, make their transportation one of the most difficult, since a trailer specifically designed and built for this purpose is needed. This complexity has motivated the movement of each specimen to be carried out individually and gradually over a period of approximately 3 weeks, with the aim of guaranteeing their well-being and that they were together again. The three displaced giraffes were Sahira, Lluna and May, born in 2014, 2015 and 2017 respectively, and are daughters of Julius, the breeding male, and Zora.
The four giraffes that currently live in BIOPARC can be seen in one of the most striking and admired enclosures in the park. since it is a spectacular multispecies space where four different species of antelope coexist, Thomson gazelle, Blesbok, Impala and Aquatic antelope; unique birds such as the sacred ibis and Jabirú and different species of ducks and, in turn, they can be seen on the same visual plane as the pride of lions. That image of the “Valencian savannah” with predator and prey, just as it happens in nature, is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive experiences for visitors.
