The pc28¹ÙÍøZoo made a Mother’s Day announcement saying that staff are looking forward to a new four-legged friend as Mstari, a Masai giraffe, is expecting another calf.
The announcement was made on the zoo’s social media accounts in connection with the holiday and said Mstari is approximately six months into her 13- to 16-month-long pregnancy. She is expected to give birth around late winter or early spring 2026.Â
The pc28¹ÙÍøZoo is part of a co-operative breeding program among accredited zoos that aims to support conservation efforts for Masai giraffes.Â
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The 11-year-old giraffe was paired with paired with Kiko, a 12-year-old male in early November 2024 and after monitoring her hormone levels for several months, the zoo’s reproductive science team confirmed her pregnancy.Â
Four years ago on Mother’s Day, Mstari was pregnant with her second calf and the following February. The calf, named Matumaini, died while under anesthesia during a castration surgery in July 2024. He was survived by his older sister Amani, who was to participate in the same breeding program in October 2024. Some of Matumaini’s genetic material was collected by the zoo’s reproductive science team and is housed in their biobank.
Fewer than 35,000 Masai giraffes survive in the wild today, having experienced more than a 50 per cent decline in the past 30 years.
Masai giraffes, found in the southern half of Kenya and Tanzania, were declared endangered in December 2018 due to illegal hunting and habitat loss in the wild. Fewer than 35,000 of the giraffes survive in the wild today, having experienced more than a 50 per cent decline in the past 30 years.
With files from Ilyas Hussein
Anastasia Blosser is a breaking news reporter, working out of
the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Reach her via email: ablosser@thestar.ca
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