Animal Kingdom

LAKE BUENA VISTA , Fla. Oct 10, 2008 -- Entering the world at 6-feet tall and 155 pounds, baby Bonsu delighted members of the animal programs team at Disney's Animal Kingdom in the early morning hours, Sunday September 28. Bonsu's name is inspired from the Akan language in Ghana and means biggest and strongest fish in the sea. He is the fourth male, and 11th giraffe overall, born at Disney's Animal Kingdom since the park opened in 1998. He is also the second calf for his mother Nikki, whose first offspring, a female named Rori was born in 2006. She can be seen today on the savannah at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Animal programs team members welcomed three other giraffes earlier this year:
Makena, whose name means "Happy One" in Swahili was born on Leap Day February 29 weighing in at 118 pounds and five-five, six inches tall. Marley was born March 14 and weighed 122 pounds and stood just under six feet. And AJ arrived March 27, standing about six feet tall, and weighing in at 145 pounds at birth.

Bonsu and his mother Nikki are doing fine and are expected to rejoin their herd on the savannah at Disney's Animal Kingdom in the next few weeks.

Other Babies Born This Year!

Tsavo!

LAKE BUENA VISTA , Fla. June 28, 2008 -- Walt Disney World Resort recently welcomed a newborn calf to the herd of African elephants at Disney's Animal Kingdom. 26-year old Moyo, the mother, gave birth to Tsavo (pronounced sah-vo), a 327-pound male elephant. He is the heaviest elephant calf ever born at the park. Moyo is also the mother of Tufani, the first baby elephant born at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Born on June 28th, Tsavo is the fourth elephant born at Animal Kingdom. Tufani was born in 2003; Kianga, a female, was born in 2004; and Nadirah, the youngest female, joined the herd in 2005. All remain on the savannah for guests to see.

Moyo herself came to DAK in 1997 from a zoo in Tacoma, WA after her capture in the wilds of Zimbabwe in 1983.

Both calf and mother appear to be doing well according to veterinarians and elephant managers, who are optimistic about the calf's likelihood of survival. With assistance from the animal care team, the newborn became comfortable using his "newly-discovered" legs and began nursing successfully from his mother soon after birth. He is already feisty and very active.

Disney officials wanted to give an him an appropriate name, since he was the largest calf born at Animal Kingdom. Tsavo is a region of Kenya located at the crossing of the Uganda Railway over the Tsavo River, and is the largest national park in Kenya, and one of the largest in the world.

It's a Girl! And a Boy!

Makena and Kidani!

LAKE BUENA VISTA , Fla. , March 13, 2008 -- Disney's animal care team has been busy over the past two weeks with the births of two new bundles of joy -- a female baby giraffe named Makena and a male baby zebra named Kidani.

Born on March 8, Kidani is the first Hartmann's Mountain Zebra born at Walt Disney World Resort. The Hartmann's Mountain Zebra is an endangered species native to Angola, Namibia and South Africa. Kidani was bred through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Population Management Plan, which is a consortium of zoos and wildlife parks working together to conserve and breed animals.

Kidani was named for the new expansion of Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas, which will be named Kidani Village. The zebra currently weighs approximately 65 pounds and stands three and a half feet tall. Kidani's been known to kick up his heels and run around the yard, with his watchful mother Kari, nearby. As an adult male, Kidani could reach 800 pounds, and stand five feet tall.

Makena, which means "Happy One" in Swahili is the female giraffe born on Leap Day, February 29. At birth, she weighed 118 pounds and stood five feet, six inches tall. Makena was standing just one-and-a-half hours after birth and started nursing shortly after. Makena is the first calf for her mother, four-year-old Malaika, who was born at Disney's Animal Kingdom. When Makena grows up, she could be as tall as 15 feet. She is the eighth giraffe born at Disney since Disney's Animal Kingdom opened in 1998.

Both mothers and babies are doing well and are expected to rejoin their herds on the savannah at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge in the coming weeks.

Don't forget Tufani, Nadirah, Kianga, and the other babies born at Disney's Animal Kingdom!

News and photos about the other babies born in Animal Kingdom

BACKGROUND

Giraffes

The typical gestation period for a giraffe is approximately 15 months.

An adult giraffe's neck alone can measure up to seven-feet, and their tongues can be as long as 18 inches.

Giraffes also have their own set of unique skin markings, similar to a human fingerprint.

Zebras

The typical gestation period for a zebra is approximately 12 months.

Similar to the giraffe, each zebra has a unique coat pattern that herd members use to identify one another. One of the identifying characteristics of the mountain zebra is that their stripes do not meet under the belly, which is white with a central black stripe.

Hartmann's Mountain Zebras are also prone to frequent dust baths once or twice daily and are sure footed on rocky or rugged surfaces.

Disney Animal Kingdom's breeding program

Giraffes and zebras at the Walt Disney World Resort are bred through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Population Management Plan, which is a consortium of zoos and wildlife parks working together to conserve and breed animals.

Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge are accredited by the AZA. With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation.

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