Sweet New Giraffe Calf Joins Lion Country Safari
February 20, 2018
Lion Country Safari welcomed a new baby Giraffe on February 4!
The new calf arrived just before the safari closed for the evening, and guests visiting the park had a unique opportunity to witness the incredible birth from their vehicles in the final section of the preserve. A line of cars, with guests, watched as the 132-pound, 5.5-foot-tall female baby was born.
The calf has been named “Kimberlina”. Lion Country Safari’s wildlife team selected her unique name as homage to two special staff members described as, "exceptionally passionate and dedicated to giving [the] Giraffe extraordinary care." Kimberlina is also the name of a type of rose and keeps with the theme of her mother’s and grandmother’s names: Willow and Ayanna (flower), respectively.
Photo Credits: Lion Country Safari (Image 5 = Dad, Cupid, with heart-shaped spot visible on neck)
Mom and baby can be observed spending some quiet bonding time in the maternity area. New dad, Cupid, was recently seen enjoying his own birthday celebration on February 14th. Identifiable by a heart-shaped spot on the right side of his neck, 13-year-old Cupid was observed enjoying special treats, or ‘enrichments’, in the Giraffe-feeding yard throughout the day on Valentine's Day.
Lion Country Safari is home to one of the largest herds, or ‘towers’, of Giraffe in the United States and is the only drive-through safari of its kind in the state of Florida.