Yesterday Zoo Knoxville celebrated World Giraffe Day at The Williams Family Giraffe Encounter. Did you know that you can get eye level daily with the zoo’s giraffes and feed them their favorite snacks? Feeding times are 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. (weather permitting), and the cost is $5 per person. Guests can also visit the two-story Encounter deck to get a giraffe’s perspective of Grasslands Africa.
Zoo Knoxville has four giraffes in our herd: Lucy (female, 21), Jumbe (male, 18), Frances (female, 6), and Jumbe Jr (male, 1.5). Did you know their wild counterparts are facing a silent crisis, and their numbers have dropped dramatically with little notice? Decreased by 40%, there are less than 100,000 giraffes left in Africa. AZA-accredited zoos are working with their partners to help save giraffes through education, research, field work, public awareness and action. Visit the SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) giraffe page here to learn more about what you can do to help giraffes.
For more info on zoo hours and admission or becoming a member at Zoo Knoxville, go here.
Tina Rolen is director of marketing and communications at Zoo Knoxville.