Aella, The New Giraffe Calf Debuts at Walt Disney World’s Kilimanjaro Safaris

We announced previously that a new giraffe calf was born at Walt Disney World.  The calf was born on June 29th, 2018 and was more than 5 feet tall at birth.  Aella is now 2 months old and is a Masai giraffe calf, and she finally made her big debut on the Kilimanjaro Safaris savanna.  Guests can see her now when they enjoy the attraction.  She will be easy to pick out of the crowd since she is the youngest and smallest in the herd!

Her name was chosen after an Amazon warrior.  She has an adventurous personality.  Check her out on the video below:

Aella was the first birth for her parents, Lily and George.  This birth was part of the Species Survival Plan as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.  This program helps to ensure the long-term survival of species that are threatened or endangered.

Even though Aella is on the savanna now, she will still nurse for around a year.  After she is finished nursing, she will start eating the vegetation that is found within the savanna.  She is expected to grow to have an 18-inch tongue and eat up to 75 pounds of food in a single day!  The Masai giraffe is originally found in Kenya and Tanzania.  There are only believed to be around 32,000 left in the wild and the population is in a decline due to poaching and habitat loss.

Who has seen Aella already while on Kilimanjaro Safaris?

Photo and Source Credit:  Disney Parks Blog