On October 10, the Hattiesburg Zoo welcomed a third Reticulated Giraffe, Grace, who is joining current giraffes Sue Ellen and Alberta (Bertie).
Grace and Bertie are half-sisters, as the two share a father. Grace is 2 ½ years old and has come to the Hattiesburg Zoo from the Audubon Species Survival Center.
“Grace is of breeding age and the Audubon Species Survival Center chose to move her to our zoo rather than place her on birth control,” said Kristen Moore, Hattiesburg Zoo’s Animal Curator. “We are pleased they chose the Hattiesburg Zoo as the home for Grace.
Sue Ellen and Bertie have thrived here in our care, and we expect that Grace will be a good fit in regard to compatibility.”
“When considering adding Grace to our tower, we looked at several factors including space and facility resources,” said Jeremy Cumpton, Director of Conservation, Education and Wildlife. “Both our giraffe barn and their outdoor yard far exceed the animal husbandry guidelines for space required, and we built our facilities with the goal of adding to our giraffe population.”
According to the guidelines, the Hattiesburg Zoo’s Giraffe yard would easily hold 10 giraffes. “While we don’t intend to grow to 10 giraffes, we do have space that allows for additional giraffes when it is appropriate,” said Moore.
“We are so very excited to bring a third giraffe to the Hattiesburg Zoo,” said Rick Taylor, Executive Director of the Hattiesburg Convention Commission, which oversees and manages the operation of the Hattiesburg Zoo in cooperation with the City of Hattiesburg. “Our guests make the giraffe yard one of their first stops during their visit, and I know this will add to their enthusiasm.”
Grace will be quarantined inside the giraffe barn for 30 days before joining Sue Ellen and Bertie on the yard. She should be in the outdoor exhibit near the middle of November for guests to see.
“We hope that Grace will also join Sue Ellen and Bertie for feedings with guests sometime next year,” said Cumpton. “It will take her some time to get comfortable with her surroundings and with people, but we are looking forward to watching as her personality develops.”
In May of 2021, giraffes Sue Ellen and Alberta came to the Hattiesburg Zoo from the Audubon Wildlife Preserve. Mother (Sue Ellen) is approximately 20 – 22 years of age and daughter (Bertie) is 3 ½ years of age.
