Munching away at an assortment of fruits and veggies, the two latest additions to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom — baby reticulated giraffes Chich and Oz — looked right at home Saturday.
Both males, these adorable two brothers were transferred in mid-November from Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey.
Although still small in comparison to their two fully grown enclosure mates, don’t be fooled. With their long necks, they still tower over the average adult.
Weighing in at about 800 pounds is Chich — the larger of the two — while his brother Oz weighs around 500 pounds.
Although they’ve only been at the park just shy of two months, their personalities are already shining through.
“Chich was hand raised, so he’s a little pushy,” joked Animal Caregiver Robyn Arnold. Nudging toward the bucket of apples, carrots, and lettuce, it was clear that the little one shows no humility when it comes to food.
Oddly enough, although Chich — 18 months old — is the bold one of the two. He’s spooked by objects like umbrellas and rain gear.
But his brother Oz — just over one year old — is spooked by most things. He’s the one with a bit more manners out of the two, more of a gentle soul.
Still warming up to the other two giraffes — and humans, for that matter — the brothers cycle through supervised visits, where they’re able to interact with the others in the same pen.
“We are still working on introductions … it’s a bit of a slow process,” said Arnold. But for safety reasons and drastic size differences, it’s a must.
But like the saying goes, “all good things take time” and it isn’t any with these two. An optimistic Arnold hopes all four will be able to be together within the next month.
“But these boys in theory will be roughing around out here, wreaking havoc, causing trouble I’m sure,” she laughed.
Since they are still a bit too small for public feeding and can’t quite yet reach the dock, it will take some time until the brothers are ready for official meet and greets.
Though long term, there are a few plans in store.
“I think we’ll go back to some of the in-house programs that we already do,” said Arnold. “Our Back Stage Safari Program or meet and greets with them.”
Until then, we wait.
So for now, these adorable two are still open to the public for viewing — if only from a distance.
