Nashville Zoo Acquires an 18-Month Old Reticulated Giraffe

By Jim Bartoo

Nashville, TN - An 18-month old reticulated giraffe has joined Nashville Zoo’s animal collection. The female giraffe, named Layla, comes to Nashville from the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas.

“Layla has been a welcome addition to our collection,” said Connie Philipp, director of animal collections at Nashville Zoo. “She is a very spunky and curious. Being hand-raised has made her very interested in what we do all day.”

Layla is Nashville Zoo’s first reticulated giraffe, one of nine different sub-species of giraffe. Nashville Zoo’s other two, a female named Margarita and a male named Congo, are both Masai giraffe. Reticulated giraffe are known for their distinctive skin pattern of bright orange spots separated by cream lines. The pattern provides good camouflage in the dense vegetation of their native Eastern Africa. It is estimated that fewer than 5,000 remain in the wild.

Layla currently weighs over 590 pounds and stands 9 feet tall, considerably smaller than Margarita who weighs 1,860 pounds and is over 14 feet tall. Zoo guests can see Layla on exhibit with Margarita during sunny days where temperatures remain above 50 degrees. Layla’s introductions to Congo will occur in a few months.

Nashville Zoo’s 1.5 acre Giraffe Savannah opened in April 2006 thanks to generous contributions from Mrs. Maggi Margaret Turner, the Vandewater family and hundreds of supporters who contributed to the Zoo’s “Stick Your Neck Out” campaign.

Nashville Zoo is accredited by the prestigious Association of Zoos and Aquariums, assuring the highest standards of animal care and husbandry. The Zoo is a nonprofit organization located at 3777 Nolensville Pike and is open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The mission of Nashville Zoo is to inspire a culture of understanding and discovery of our natural world through conservation, innovation and leadership. For more information about Nashville Zoo, call 615-833-1534 or visit www.nashvillezoo.org.

To view Nashville Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor News, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-110-Nashville_Zoo