The San Antonio Zoo welcomes giraffes back to the Alamo City today (Friday, November 20) in grand style with a brand new exhibit, the Savanna, built just for them. San Antonio Mom Blogs is proud to partner with the San Antonio Zoo to give you a first look at what to expect when you visit this sweet giraffe family (a father and his two sons):
They’ve recently moved into their new digs and they’re still adjusting to the big change (they moved to San Antonio from the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas). But once the giraffes become accustomed to their surroundings, Zoo patrons will have the opportunity to feed the them lettuce from the new platform created just for this special experience:
Five dollars buys you three lettuce leaves to feed the giraffes. However, the giraffes are on their own schedule and feeding opportunities will be up to them more than the guests.
Our animal care specialists are working very hard at conditioning these new giraffes to come up to the feeding platform to be fed by guests. However, we don’t force animals to do anything. We train our animals through positive reinforcement.”
– San Antonio Zoo
Exhibit interpreters will be available at the feeding platform to answer questions and interact with the guests (and giraffes!).
Located next door to the Savanna exhibit is the new Longnecks Bar and Grill which offers a revamped menu including beer, upscale burgers, and bar snacks like spicy fried pickles.
Because the number of giraffes in the wild are rapidly decreasing, the San Antonio Zoo puts a priority on giraffe conservation efforts by partnering with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. This organization works with farmers who monitor giraffe populations and observe how they interact with livestock. Zoo patrons can help with these efforts by donating used handheld GPS units and/or binoculars to the Education Center at the San Antonio Zoo where they’ll be shipped in bulk to Africa.
Visit the San Antonio Zoo to meet these guys and to learn more about them and how we can protect them in the wild.
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