Haidee is one of our ungulate keepers at Monarto Safari Park. Recently Haidee has been hand-feeding Nolean, a giraffe calf born in October 2019. Unfortunately, Nolean’s mum didn’t want to feed her and so Haidee and the other ungulate (hoofed animal) keepers did the job instead.

Nolean is now five-months old and was recently released back into the herd with the other giraffe including Asali who acts a bit like an ‘aunty’ to Nolean – and makes sure she’s doing ok.

Watch the footage of Haidee with Nolean as she provides an update of Nolean’s progress

Wow! 10 Giraffe facts

1. Giraffes feed for up to 20 hours a day.
2. Giraffes consume approximately 30kg of foliage daily.
3. A six-foot tall calf grows rapidly, as much as 2.5cm a day, and by six months old is fairly independent of its mother.
4. The giraffe is found in the arid and dry savannah regions of Africa south of the Sahara Desert wherever trees occur.
5. Giraffes form big, loose nomadic herds that wander the plains, feeding on vegetation as they go.
6. Giraffes are predominantly browsing animals, meaning they tend to eat leaves and bark off trees as the main part of their diet.
7. The feeding pattern of the giraffe has allowed it to develop two very famous evolutionary traits – a very long neck and a very long, prehensile tongue that can extend up to 45cm! Both of these physical features allow giraffes to reach vegetation that is difficult to get to, giving it an advantage over other animals.
8. It is estimated there are approximately 80,000 giraffe roaming the savannah plains of Africa. This number is declining as their habitats shrinks due to human population growth and an increase in agricultural activity, expanding settlements and road construction. The giraffe’s main food source, acacia trees, is also on the decline.
9. The giraffe has one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal, averaging two hours daily.
10. Individual giraffes have a unique pattern on their coat, just like fingerprints are unique to each human.

Quiz

Use the film clip and information above to help you answer the questions

1. How much food does a giraffe eat per day?
2. What are a giraffe’s favourite foods?
3. How long can a giraffe’s tongue grow up to?
4. How many hours sleep do giraffes generally have per night?
5. When Haidee arrives at the giraffe paddock in the morning, where does she often find Nolean?
6. Is Nolean drinking all of her milk all of the time?
7. Where do giraffes live in the wild?
8. Have you ever seen a giraffe. If so, where? What was it like?
9. What does Ungulate mean?
10. How many other ungulates can you think of? Make a list. Challenge a friend to see who can think of the most.