Mogo Wildlife Park director Chad Staples with three of the South Coast zoo’s friendly giraffes. Photo: Mogo Wildlife Park.
Imagine looking up at an animal 18 feet tall with a giant grey tongue curling, reaching towards you. Feeding the giraffes at Mogo Wildlife Park gives you the opportunity to experience just that.
Babies as young as six-months-old have been helping the staff at Mogo feed 18-year-old giraffe Shani and her family since 2008 and according to Mogo Zoo managing director Chad Staples, it’s an experience not to be missed.
“We get plenty of people come through the doors just to meet Shani and her family,” he says.
The giant tongue makes feeding the giraffes at Mogo Zoo fun for all ages. Photo: Supplied.
“Shani, her kids and grandkids are so great with everyone that shows up to interact with them; it’s fantastic to see.”
Mogo Wildlife Park curator Cody Wentzell says Shani has been a great asset to the park since day one.
“Sally welcomed Shani with open arms and helped nurture her throughout her time here; she only retired recently but was here for 30 years and did a great job at making sure not only Shani was well looked after but all the other animals in the zoo,” he says.
With the average giraffe consuming a whopping 34 kilograms of leafy sticks and carrots over the course of 12 hours each day, Cody says the public taking part in the experience is a win for participants, the giraffes and the workers at Mogo.
Get up close and personal with giraffes at the Mogo zoo. Photo: Karyn Starmer.
Cody also says the experience has no age limit and he loves to see people of all ages show up to take part.
“If you’re a baby or in your 90s, you can join in,” he says.
“We’ll get kids as young as six months be held by their parents to join in; the giraffes are that gentle and we trust them to be that way when it comes to associating with the public.
“It’s also great for something to do for teenagers; it’s just the most inclusive experience for everyone.”
The up close Giraffe Encounter is guaranteed to be remembered thanks to a professional photographer at every feeding ready to capture the moment.
Cody says he has hopes the large family will only continue to grow.
“The family are part of the regional breeding program so we’re hoping to potentially bring some more calves to the zoo as a result of that not only to keep up the generational growth but also keep giving us opportunities to let as many people experience meeting the giraffes as possible,” he says.
“All of our experiences are unique, entertaining and educational but I think people really do love our giraffes, they’re such beautiful animals.”
See the giraffes for yourself at Mogo Wildlife Park, located at 222 Tomakin Road, Mogo and open from 9 am to 4 pm daily. For more information visit Mogo Wildlife Park.
Original Article published by Jacqueline Lyons on Riotact.
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