Auckland Zoo’s giraffe Mtundu heads overseas
Aucklanders can catch a glimpse of the pridelands as a young giraffe takes to the road, then the sea today.
Auckland Zoo’s 15-month-old male giraffe Mtundu will leave Auckland on Tuesday, bound for a new life at Mogo Zoo on the southern coast of New South Wales, Australia.
He will depart the zoo in Pt Chevalier about 1pm, heading for Ports of Auckland’s Fergusson Wharf.
From there, he will sail aboard Hamburg Sud’s 42,000 tonne container ship, the Hammonia Galicia, arriving in Sydney three or four days later.
Aucklanders could see Mtundu being transported in his purposebuilt crate along Great North Rd, St Lukes Rd, Balmoral Rd, Mt Eden Rd, Symonds St, Anzac Ave, and Beach Rd.
The zoo’s Pridelands area team leader Nat Sullivan and vet Dr Melanie Leech would both travel with the 500kg giraffe.
Sullivan said she was hopeful that Mtundu would take the journey in his stride.
‘‘Mtundu’s a very relaxed giraffe with a lovely nature, and that’s really helped with his crate training for this trip, which has gone extremely well over the past few months.
On board, he’ll be positioned in front of the bridge, protected from any adverse weather...plus both myself and Melanie will have access to him 24/7 so he’ll also have the security and comfort of familiar faces, and we’ll be able to monitor him closely.’’
From Sydney, Mtundu would travel by road to Mogo Zoo where he would meet his new giraffe family.
Sullivan said it was an important move for the Australasian zoos’ regional breeding programme.
Giraffes were listed as vulnerable on the , and their population had plummeted up to 40 per cent over the past 30 years.
The zoo was ‘‘naturally’’ always sad to farewell its animals, Sullivan said.
‘‘We’ll especially miss Mtundu. ‘‘He loved to play fight with his dad Zabulu, and was playmate for our new female Kabili, who was .’’
With Mtundu’s departure, the zoo’s giraffe herd would stand at four: Kabili, Zabulu, and adult females Rukiya and Kiraka.
On New Year’s Eve twin giraffes were born at Auckland Zoo but one had to be euthanised because it couldn’t suckle or function independently and did not form a bond with its mum Kiraka.
‘‘Mtundu's a very relaxed giraffe with a lovely nature’’