Iniko the giraffe moves 40-miles away to new home
- Published
A giraffe has been moved almost 40 miles (64.37km) to a new home at a zoo.
Africa Alive Reserve, in Kessingland near Lowestoft, Suffolk, said goodbye to Iniko the giraffe early on Friday.
She was transported via a specialised trailer to Banham Zoo in Norfolk which has two other giraffes.
Zoe Nunn, animal manager at Africa Alive, said Iniko would be able to enjoy more space at Banham Zoo.
"We have [Iniko's] mum and dad here so we're hoping to breed in the future," Ms Nunn explained.
"Iniko is going to go over to Banham where there's a little bit more space and then we've got mum and dad here so we'll hopefully have some more little baby giraffes in the future."
Both zoos are part of the Zoological Society of East Anglia and work closely together.
Iniko is four years old and was born at the park.
Her keepers have spent time ensuring she had been conditioned to the trailer she was transported it.
"It's a specialised trailer - it looks a little bit like a horse box but it has extensions which make the top go higher," Ms Nunn said.
"The transport people we have are specialised in giraffe moves across the world."
With the help of some treats, Iniko was easily moved into the trailer before she headed off to Banham Zoo.
"It happened very quickly. She was a little bit stubborn, but [with] encouragement from Emily and Lou she went in and she was a good girl," Ms Nunn said.
"The keepers are going to miss her, they work with her every single day and she was born here.
"But it's for the breeding programme and in the future, she may go off and have her own youngsters."
Iniko's keeper, Emily Payne, said Iniko was given some food in her trailer for her journey that would help keep her happy.
"We're really relieved that she's safely on her way," she said.
"It's always a little stressful moving a large animal but it was really nice to see how calm she was during the whole process."
Get in touch
Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk?
Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, external, Instagram, external and X, external.
Related topics
Stories like this
- Published21 July
- Published26 June
- Published20 March