Young Giraffe Joins Philadelphia Zoo's Animal Family

PHILADELPHIA — A baby giraffe has joined the Philadelphia Zoo's family.

The zoo recently announced the arrival of a 15-month-old female giraffe named Bea.

Bea joined the zoo on Nov. 20 after traveling from the Knoxville Zoo in Tennessee.

She is settling in with her herd mates, 18-year-old Stella and 11-year-old Abigail.

According to the zoo, transporting a giraffe is no simple task.

In the weeks leading up to the move, Philadelphia Zoo staff worked with the team at Knoxville Zoo to ensure a safe trip for Bea. Plans included training her to get safely into trailer, creating contingency plans, and finding an experienced professional animal transporter.

"I am happy to say the overall transition has been smooth," says Donna Evernham, Curator of Carnivores & Ungulates. "The journey was successful and the new trio are doing great. Bea’s calm demeanor has made bonding with Stella and Abby easy. “We are very excited to have a young giraffe at Philadelphia Zoo."

Considered the tallest land animals in the world, male giraffes can reach up to 18- feet- tall and weigh close to 3,000 pounds, while a female can grow to 15-feet- tall and weigh around 1,500 pounds.

Bea stands at around 8-feet-tall and weighs more than 1,000 pounds.

Listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with scientists estimating there are fewer than 100,000 surviving in the wild, giraffe are affected by poaching and habitat destruction, with populations decreasing more than 40 percent over the last three decades.