We recently celebrated the birth of the 37th giraffe baby to enter the world here at Safari West. On August 30th our oldest and tallest giraffe, Jamala delivered her seventh calf. This not-so-little little one had some struggles getting here, but with the help of mother and a few dedicated keepers, we eventually welcomed her to the herd. For the last week and a half, this lovely lady has remained nameless as we’ve pondered and debated how best to honor her place in our Safari West family.

Finally, we have it. This baby girl stood six-feet tall and weighed 140-pounds at birth. That’s big even by giraffe standards! Since then she’s only gotten bigger and as her body has grown, so has her attitude. It turns out, this little lady is quite the fireball; something which wound up inspiring her name.

Please join us in welcoming Onya to our vibrant and growing herd. Onya, the Swahili word for “blaze” beautifully captures the spirit and energy of the newest arrival. Come visit Safari West today and join us as we watch Onya learn, grow, and take her place here on the Sonoma Serengeti.

The post A Name for Number 37! appeared first on Safari West.

Happy Birthday!

For the second time in 2017, Safari West proudly announces the arrival of a bouncing baby giraffe! Our proud mama and attending keepers welcomed baby Tarra on Wednesday, July 26th.

Though she’s already taller than most of our staff, at 5-feet, 1-inches and 125 lbs tiny Tarra is petite for a giraffe. Her proud parents—Mama Malaika and Papa Kopi—are both Sonoma County natives, born right here at Safari West.

While Tarra gets used to her surroundings, she and Malaika will relax in the lot near the giraffe barn. The long necks of the other giraffes stretching down to meet the new arrival should pretty well signal her whereabouts. Soon enough, mom and daughter will venture into the giraffe lot so Tarra can start learning the ways of her herd.

Come down to Safari West this summer to meet Tarra and the rest of our tower of towering giraffes!

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Taxonomy, in its purest form, is simply a system of naming. It’s a scientific card catalog that says what everything is from the blue whale to the bumblebee. It begins with the broadest of categories—whether a thing is a plant, an animal, or something else—and narrows it down from there.

The trouble with taxonomy is that it’s a very complex concept dressed as a very simple idea. The simple idea is as follows: humans like to name things. We’re very good at it, so good in fact that we do it without even realizing. We do it to make sense of our world and organize our experiences. In doing so, we typically create hierarchies of complexity.

According to my high school biology textbook, we use 7 categories to describe a living thing. They start with the very general and proceed down to the very specific: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. Those final two, the genus and species, make what we call a binomial, or the scientific name for an organism.

You’re probably familiar with a few of these even if you don’t know it. The most famous is the binomial we use to describe ourselves, Homo sapiens. We can often get away with referring solely to the binomial because so many of the higher categories are broad enough to be assumed. Thus instead of saying that human beings are-

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Homo
Species: sapiens

We get away with simply, Homo sapiens (this is similar to how you can say “the point guard for the Warriors” rather than, “the point guard for the Golden State Warriors, Western Conference Pacific Division, National Basketball Association”).

Taxonomy in Evolution. Evolution in Taxonomy

The problem of taxonomy comes about because nature doesn’t work in categories but in continuums. Over the centuries, we have developed numerous methods to categorize species; each with their individual strengths and weaknesses.

In earlier times, humans would rely on what we could see to classify one species from another. If a group of plants looked like one another and distinct from all the rest, they would be described, named, and categorized as a distinct species.

This would later evolve into the most well-known of our many classifying schemes; the biological species concept. This concept operates on the idea that it’s not necessary for the members of a species to look the same, so long as they can interbreed successfully. If you take a rattlesnake and place it in a habitat with a cobra, they will not breed, and what’s more, even if they did, they couldn’t produce little rattle-cobras as a result.

This system, popular and functional though it is, has its share of problems. Not all species that don’t interbreed, can’t. Lions and tigers, for instance, don’t interbreed under natural conditions, yet they can produce a viable hybrid. Does this make them the same species? Most biologists would argue no. And what about asexually producing life? It doesn’t breed at all, so how do we go about defining it?

Enter DNA

In recent years, advances in genomic sequencing have added further complications to the field. It’s become more and more common to come across headlines about genetics demonstrating that what we thought was a singular species is actually two or more in disguise. How are we doing this? What does the genetics actually tell us?

Simply put, genetics tell us whether or not different populations are interbreeding. Consider the giraffe. Giraffes have long been considered a monolithic species. They can be found scattered across Africa and whether in Namibia or Niger, Zimbabwe or Zambia, the animals are relatively indistinguishable. We can isolate some general differences in coat color and patterning but overall, they appear highly similar and are more than capable of interbreeding.

But do they?

Giraffe Fracas

Recent research into giraffe genetics indicates that the total population is not only geographically fragmented but reproductively so as well. According to research conducted in partnership with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, there appear to be four distinct groups of giraffe that haven’t interbred for a good long while. This has led to a push to have the giraffe reclassified from one species to four.

But debate continues. The populations may not be interbreeding, and apparently not for generations, but does that really make them separate species? If they weren’t living so far from one another, would they interbreed? Are they breeding at all where populations overlap? These are but a few of the questions demanding answers.

A Conspiracy of Lemurs

The possible re-categorization of giraffe sounds revolutionary, but in truth, this kind of thing happens all the time. Safari West recently became home to three red ruffed lemurs (Varecia rubra) and has long been home to black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata). These two species are closely related, occupy similar and geographically overlapping habitats, and differ only in physical appearance and vocalization.

Until very recently, both black-and-white ruffed and red ruffed lemurs were considered to be the same species. A recent study determined that the two lemur types don’t regularly hybridize. Further, it appears that a large river in Northeastern Madagascar completely separates reds from black-and-whites restricting them from possible interbreeding. Thus, they have been reclassified as distinct species (and the only living examples of the genus Varecia).

Let’s Get Political

What on Earth does this nuanced and complex branch of science have to do with conservation?

Two primary forces granting legal protection to many vulnerable and endangered species are the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and of course, the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Both the CITES treaty and the ESA have proven immensely valuable in conservation work not only here at home but across the globe. These twin policies have had broad reach and deep impact but their success has also led to a sometimes problematic focus on the species.

You see, if a species is in danger of extinction across its range it then becomes relatively easy to achieve protective measures. If however, it’s only endangered in some places, that becomes less true.

The recent downgrading of giraffes from a species of least concern to one vulnerable to extinction came about because of data showing a decrease in their population of over 40%. However, if the scientific community agrees that there are in fact four distinct species of giraffe, then the numbers change. The reticulated giraffe population, for example, has plummeted by over 80% making them far more endangered than the current classification implies.

A Newer (Better?) Way of Thinking

If this has inspired in you a deep curiosity about the convoluted happenings in the world of taxonomy, great. There’s a whole, wide world of life out there that we need to better understand and identification is a huge first step. If you’re just wondering what my point might be, here it is: our reliance on identifying endangered species when planning conservation strategies is problematic.

Not only are species little more than cogs in the overall clockwork of an ecosystem, but on occasion, they’re not even clearly-defined cogs. It may be less important how any one categorized species is doing on a global scale and more important to consider ecological stability on a local level.

If we had all the giraffe we ever needed in South Africa, but they were to disappear from all the other countries in their current range, that would be a problem. The ecosystems in Kenya, or Botswana, or Zambia, would suffer major changes with the loss of such a large and charismatic species. And like falling dominos, those shifting ecosystems would impact neighboring systems.

The lines between species are vague and malleable just like the lines between ecosystems and they’re all interconnected. The trouble with taxonomy is that it encourages categorical thinking. We can plan conservation tactics categorically, but conservation in action must be holistic.

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This year’s event includes a new exciting component we’re calling Tea Time with Giraffes. Alongside the experience of wandering our lower grounds among monkeys, cheetahs, and lemurs with the mom’s (or children) in your life, you’ll enjoy a trek aboard our unique Nairobi minibus. These treks venture out into the gazelle pasture where addax and giraffes and crowned cranes play. From there you’ll motor on up the hill to visit the rhino paddock and beyond to the Lands of Watusi.

A trek can be a dusty business so as a refresher, you’ll be able to enjoy some mind-expanding African iced teas and tasty desserts. This mother’s day we want to celebrate our diverse world and bring awareness to the vanishing beauty that is our vulnerable and wonderful giraffe.

As a special bonus, this year will be a real treat for one of our most recent mothers, our giraffe mama, Mara! Mara gave birth to our newest adorable giraffe baby on April 27th and we couldn’t be more excited.

This Mother’s Day, we’re getting a little bit rugged, and a little bit refined, right here at Safari West!

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Have you been following the news lately? If so, you may have heard that giraffes were recently declared “vulnerable”. This unwelcome news is shocking to many. It may also be a little confusing. What is “vulnerable” exactly? Is it the same as endangered? And perhaps most important of all, what happened to bring us to this point?

The answers to these questions are both complex and surprisingly simple. To be vulnerable is to be endangered, or at the least, to be in the early stages of endangerment. As to how it happened? It happened the same way it always happens; a combination of factors mostly having to do with a conflict with human populations and our widespread impacts.

First off, it’s important to understand that when it comes to discussions of endangered species, there are many bureaucracies and agencies in play, ranging from non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) to national institutions like the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife. Each of these entities has their own specific designations and processes used to assess when a given species is in danger of extinction. Among these varied organizations, there’s one agency in particular that has become the primary arbiter of assessing species sustainability: the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The IUCN maintains a database of plant and animal species. Within this database, they utilize carefully researched and tabulated data to determine the overall vitality of individual species. Once the IUCN has assessed a species, they assign it a classification. Species in no real danger of extinction are declared to be species of “least concern” (think human beings, raccoons, and rats). From there the ranking descends through the categories of near threatened (American bison), vulnerable (giraffe and elephant), endangered (ring-tailed lemur), critically endangered (black rhinoceros), extinct in the wild (scimitar horned oryx), and finally, extinct (dodo birds).

The recent development in the world of the giraffe was a downgrading from “least concern” to “vulnerable.” It is terrible to learn that giraffes are doing so poorly in the world, but this is actually good news for the species for the simple reason that with a change in conservation status comes the possibility of beneficial regulation and legislation.

Prior to this momentous down-listing from “least concern” straight through “near threatened” to “vulnerable,” the giraffe was a species largely ignored by the conservation community. As big, fairly visible animals, they are easier to find on safaris and game drives than the elusive and rare predators like lions and leopards. They are seldom targeted by poachers like elephants and rhinos. They’ve been common spectacles on African game drives for a long time and for these reasons and more, we’ve been largely blind to their nearly universal decline.

But decline they have. As of 1985, the total giraffe population was estimated at somewhere between 151,000 and 163,000 animals. Today the number is closer to 97,000. That’s a nearly 40% decline in three decades! To provide some context to these numbers, let’s compare to another megafauna species; the heavily poached African elephant. African elephants face tremendous persecution across their range and are also classified as “vulnerable” and yet as of mid-2016, they number roughly 352,000. That’s nearly four wild elephants for every wild giraffe left in existence. This leaves us with two questions: what has been happening, and why didn’t we know it was happening earlier?

The second question is the easier to answer. We did know earlier. While much of the world has been blind to the decline of the giraffe, there have been canaries in the coal mine. One of the most strident voices in trying to wake the world up to the decline of the giraffe has been that of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and its founders Dr. Julian and Stephanie Fenessey. The GCF has been working on giraffe conservation for years and has been sounding the alarm for the majority of that time. They’ve done amazing work but as with any large scale issue—from cigarettes to climate change—the world has been slow to respond.

In order for an organization like the IUCN to reclassify a species, there must be a reservoir of empirical data driving the change. This means that scientists must first be interested in the species in question and capable of gaining funding for research. Data must be collected, analyzed, and published; a process that can take years or decades. Only once a suitable amount of data has been compiled can the IUCN begin reassessment. The recent down-listing of the giraffe marks the first reassessment by the IUCN of this species since 2010 and the first change in conservation status since 1996.

The complexities of trying to count animals and determine the challenges affecting their survival across a continent and national borders can be extreme. Inference and approximation come into play and this effects the IUCN assessment as well. While the down-listing of the giraffe may be long overdue, it’s not something that could have been rushed without sacrificing scientific integrity. This fact more than any other illustrates why it is important for policy makers and concerned citizens to pay attention to current events in concert with organizations like the IUCN when it comes to conservation practices. The “endangered” appellation is a bit like declaring a disaster after the fire or earthquake has struck. It’s reactionary rather than proactive.

The reasons why giraffes have declined so dramatically is another complex, yet a fairly straightforward story. There are four primary factors limiting the survivability of the species. The first is habitat loss. Deforestation and land conversion for agriculture and mining are occurring across the range of the giraffe. As forests disappear, so too do the giraffe. As large animals, they are disproportionately affected by this habitat loss. They are specialized creatures that rely heavily on acacia trees for their food. While they eat over 100 species of plant, acacia makes up the majority of giraffe diet and when these trees go, the animals do too.

A second factor affecting the giraffe is overall climate change. Many parts of Africa are growing drier which leads to a higher incidence of brush and forest fires. This leads to increased habitat loss on top of the acreage lost to human development. Likewise, as drought causes human dislocation, populations on the move frequently relocate to protected areas or regions where giraffe are already living. When there’s conflict or competition for resources between human beings and giraffe, the humans inevitably come out on top.

The third factor relates to widespread civil unrest and war taking place across much of Africa. In regions with roving militias or refugees on the move, a large, generally slow moving giraffe makes for an excellent source of needed calories.

The closely related fourth factor is poaching. An increasing number of giraffe are shot illegally, their bodies left largely intact but for their tails. The tails are removed and sold either as good luck charms or status symbols, much like the lucky rabbit’s feet of the western tradition, except that unlike rabbits, giraffes take four to five years to reach sexual maturity and produce at most one new giraffe every two to two-and-a-half years. Long-lived, slow breeding animals like giraffe simply cannot sustain losses on this scale for long.

On the whole, these factors add up to one overarching problem; conflict with humans. As our population increases across the globe, the populations of our wild neighbors necessarily decrease. But the issues coming to light with giraffe can be instructive and ultimately, hopeful. While we lament their decline, they’re not gone yet. We still have time to act, to provide policies to protect the species and establish places for them to thrive. As ecotourism continues to grow and develop throughout Africa, it becomes more and more compelling to establish reserves in which many species can live and reproduce largely free of human interference. Likewise, developments in agriculture and land use are helping to mitigate conflicts between farmers, ranchers, and miners, and their long-necked neighbors.

The news about the reassessment of giraffes also gives us cause to hope because it is being framed, not only as a tragic example of yet another animal that’s in danger of extinction but as a discussion about the process of classification and meaning of the word “endangered.” As a population, we appear to be growing more sophisticated and nuanced in our understanding of the natural world and its patterns. With focus and determination, we will continue to improve our ability to recognize population declines and preemptively act to conserve species before they experience thirty or forty percent losses.

The bad news for the giraffe is that they’re now classified as vulnerable, but the good news is that with that classification comes increased attention and conservation action. The even better news is that giraffes are already universally recognized and popular, meaning that widespread support and efforts toward their conservation shouldn’t be as difficult to motivate as it is with more obscure species.

To show your support for these beautiful and graceful creatures, consider making a donation to hard-working organizations like the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. The best hope for giraffe lies in our communal concern and interest in their well-being. Please join us in working to conserve this unique and irreplaceable species.

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Just a few days ago Safari West said goodbye to one of our oldest residents. Suzie, a beautiful and petite giraffe passed away at the ripe age of 23. Suzie Q, as we loved to call her, was born at the Los Angeles Zoo in December of 1992. In 1994 she arrived at Safari West as a sprightly two-year-old. Suzie was a Masai giraffe, a sub-species know for their leaf-shaped spots and generally dark color. Masai giraffes are the most common kind of giraffe found in Africa but are very unusual in captivity. Guests lucky enough to meet Suzie face-to-face were always surprised by her gorgeous coloration and calm demeanor. As an animal who’d been walking the hills of Safari West almost since we opened, she was very at ease with the trucks and the excited people within. While we miss Suzie fiercely and mourn her passing, we take some measure of happiness from what she leaves behind. Suzie was a proud mother giraffe many times over and Safari West is home to several of her descendants, including two of her great-grandchildren, youngster Ringo, and one of our newest babies, Dubs. We love you, Suzie.

World Giraffe Day

The passing of Suzie happens to coincide with the annual celebration of World Giraffe Day. In her honor and to help secure the future of her species, Safari West is pleased to announce this year’s World Giraffe Day event. This year, we are celebrating it in two ways. Those of you with reservations to join us on Father’s Day (June 19th) will be able to explore the many exhibits, displays, and activities for kids taking place on our main lawn in between chowing down at our “Beers and Bratwurst” event and taking a ride on our Nairobi minibus trek. For those of you unable to come to that sold-out event, we’ll be holding an additional event on World Giraffe Day which lands only a few days later on June 21st.

World Giraffe Day is an annual event designed to bring attention to the plight of these most graceful mammals. Wild giraffe populations are plummeting and organizations like the Giraffe Conservation Foundation are working hard to help this ailing species. The theme for 2016’s World Giraffe Day event is “Putting people at the center of giraffe conservation”. The goal this year is to help wild giraffe populations at risk but also to illuminate the needs of people who live side-by-side with these magnificent animals. As the Giraffe Conservation Fund points out, we need unique approaches to conserve animals living in close proximity to humans.

While we all love seeing these amazing animals in the wild, sharing your living space with wild animals on a daily basis is not always fun – even though giraffe are some of the more pleasant co-habitants when compared to elephant and lion.

On World Giraffe Day we’ll hold a special presentation in the Elephant Room after dinner service. The presentation will focus on the majesty of giraffes and their struggles in an increasingly human dominated world.

For more information on World Giraffe Day or to donate to the work it finances, please visit www.worldgiraffeday.org. Thanks, and we’ll see you there!

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Since taking his first shaky steps last fall, little Dubs has been tacking on inch after inch. He’s now about seven feet tall, pushing 250 pounds, and peers over the fences at us with ease. He and the other giraffes of his generation, Nikki and TJ are spending these sunny spring days out and about in the giraffe lot. While they’re frequently found together, recently Dubs has also been introducing himself to the ever-growing preschool class of Safari West babies. Just the other day, a couple of safari trucks were treated to a display of monumental cuteness as Dubs spread his long legs and lowered his head to get a good close look at one of our baby Nile lechwes. Little Dubs looked absolutely massive looming over the teensy-tiny antelope but only moments later he wandered back over to mom and looked like a tiny toy giraffe once more.

It’s not all fun and games being a baby giraffe at Safari West and Dubs is currently learning chute training. We have a tall chute that all our giraffes have to be comfortable going in and out of. This is so they’re relaxed and at ease when we need to put them in there for the occasional medical check up. Dubs is being adorably difficult about the whole process, stamping his feet and making mean faces at his keepers instead of doing what he’s told. So far it’s too cute to be really frustrating to his hard-working teachers.

Dubs, Nikki, TJ and all their new friends are really enjoying the warm weather and all the fans who’ve come flocking to see them. If you haven’t yet had a chance to come face-to-face with our trio of giraffe youngsters, come visit us at Safari West and experience all the wonder of wildest Africa right here in Sonoma County.

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As a Masai giraffe, the most startling of the nine recognized giraffe sub-species, Tufani really stood out in the crowd. In America, we’re most accustomed to the reticulated giraffe with their blocky brown spots and light yellow lines. Masai giraffes like Tufani look somewhat different. Their spots tend to be more leaf-shaped than geometrical and they are often much darker in color. Some of our darkest Masai giraffes are so dark that they appear nearly black.

As the years went by and Tufani carried on about the business of being a large male giraffe, he courted and bred with our tallest Masai female, a long-necked beauty by the name of Jamala. As a result, back in April of 2014, we had the privilege of welcoming their firstborn, a beautiful baby boy named Phoenix. With the addition of this six-foot newborn, we suddenly found ourselves living with a nuclear family of Masai giraffe. People turned out in droves to witness the amazing sight of our sky-high Masai family. It was a beautiful time.

Then tragedy struck. In November of 2014, Tufani very suddenly passed away. We were devastated by his loss and continue to miss his enormous presence to this day. Over a year after his passing, we continue to have guests on safari asking about Tufani. It always hurts to break it to his fans that our gentle giant has passed on.

It’s been said that every cloud has a silver lining and the silver in this story showed up only recently. On January 20th, some fourteen months and nineteen days after Tufani’s passing, Jamala went into labor again. A short time later she gave birth to another Masai male! As it turns out, the average length of giraffe gestation is thirteen to fifteen months. Apparently, in the week or two before his passing, Tufani and Jamala came together one last time to produce this miraculous final scion; the last son of Tufani and Jamala and a baby brother to Phoenix!

Every baby is exciting here at Safari West, but this one is special. A bright, beautiful gift by which to remember his well-loved father. Please join us in celebrating the birth of Tufani Junior! Little TJ is just over a month old and while he has a long way to grow before he reaches the lofty heights of his famous parents, he’s off to a great start.

Come by Safari West this spring and watch TJ (alongside Nikki and Dubs, our other giraffe youngsters) as they make their start out here in the wilds of Sonoma County.

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Once Mara began to calve, the hoofstock department leaped into action. There’s a good deal of activity and stress when an animal as big as a giraffe gives birth. Nikki Smith, our Animal Collection Supervisor and Hoofstock Manager closed out her day with Mara and her impending newborn even as she prepared to celebrate her own birthday coming the following day.

Nikki has been caring for the collection here for the last nine-and-a-half years. To say that this wasn’t her first rodeo would be an extreme understatement. We’re lucky that our animals are hearty and pretty self-sufficient when it comes to the miracle of birth. While they don’t often need our keepers to step in and help, we have staff on hand in case things go sideways all the same. So around their standard workload caring for the several hundred other animals on the property, Nikki and team also stayed close to our calving mama.

Thankfully, Mara is an experienced mom and the delivery went smoothly. Just as the sun began to set on that chilly November evening, Mara (with Nikki at her side) welcomed our newest giraffe, lucky number 13, and our first baby girl in nearly five years. She’s a spirited animal checking in at around six-feet tall and weighing about 130 pounds at birth. Within a day and a half, we had her out in the barnyard stretching those long, beautiful legs of hers and meeting her herd-mates from over the fence. Less than a month later she’s become such a bundle of energy and activity we’ve had no choice but to let her out to play in the giraffe lot that borders the tent cabins. She just runs and runs.

Since her birthday, this little giraffe has already tacked on an additional three inches to her height and filled out considerably. She’s the spitting image of her mother and incredibly popular with the young boys who spend the day in the Giraffe Lot with her. This morning she’s been galloping energetically around the habitat while her older playmates follow her like curious puppies. Really tall, long-necked puppies.

The naming of animals here at the park is a terribly exciting, occasionally mysterious, and always a special event. Some animals are named by our guests, like Gizmo Jaxon the patas monkey born back in August. Others are named in honor of staff members and supporters, like Waldie the rhinoceros (named in honor of Waldie Scheffler who helped build Safari West). The naming of this newest giraffe was as easy as it gets. This baby girl is the first female giraffe born to us in a good, long time. Born under the watchful eye of our hoofstock manager and in the closing hours of the day before her own birthday, it’d almost be weird not to name her after Nikki. So, it is with tremendous excitement that Safari West introduces to you, Nikki the giraffe! As excitable, hard-charging and energetic as her namesake, both Nikkis can now be found scampering about the barn seven days a week (maybe only six for the keeper if she can swing a day off).

Happy birthday to both of you, Nikki and Nikki, keeper and giraffe!

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