Zoo perpetuates species

The new giraffe calf at the Greenville Zoo is part of the zoo’s endangered species program.

Born June 7, the still unnamed calf, a male Masai giraffe, stood 6 feet and 1 inch tall and weighed 132 pounds.

According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, the population of Masai giraffes has declined by around 50% in the past 30 years, with approximately 44,750 remaining in the wild.

Jay Stutz, general curator at the Greenville Zoo, said the zoo operates a successful captive-breeding program for giraffes. The mother of the newborn giraffe,  Autumn has given birth to seven giraffes since 2012. Miles, the zoo’s 16-year-old male giraffe, has fathered five of Autumn’s calves.

Every giraffe birth was strategically planned. The Greenville Zoo’s Masai giraffes are under a Species Survival Plan program by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The program helps manage captive-breeding populations for individual species at AZA-accredited zoos to maximize genetic diversity and demographic variability.

Stutz said Miles and Autumn are considered valuable genetically in the Species Survival Plan. The program uses formulas to calculate genetic diversity and determine if the pair can continue to breed.

“In the wild, females will continue to breed during their reproductive age and probably have 10, 11, or 12 calves,” Stutz said. “They go into estrus, heat, very quickly after they give birth. Gestation is about 13 to 15 months, and they’ll continue to reproduce.”

The Greenville Zoo earned AZA re-accreditation in September 2024, which permits the zoo to continue participating in the Species Survival Plan program. The accreditation also allows the zoo to contribute to AZA’s Saving Animals from Extinction program.

Stutz explained that the SAFE program coordinates conservation efforts to protect species worldwide. The Greenville Zoo participates in 11 SAFE programs, which include Masai giraffes, ocelots, red pandas, Amur leopards, African painted dogs and other species.

“We have conservation programs that we support from the Greenville Zoo, and each of these SAFE programs offers additional funding for on-the-ground operations that help conserve all of these animals,” Stutz said.

Sasha Zalinsky, animal care specialist at the Greenville Zoo, said the unnamed calf is getting bigger by the day and continues to explore his new environment. Autumn and her calf will be kept separate from Miles over the next two to three weeks and will be on exhibit in the morning