Kazan giraffes settle into their new home and switch to local feed

Eight giraffes brought from Namibia are adapting well at Kazan Zoo and gradually switching to locally supplied feed. A zoo representative said the animals now consume about 40 bundles of willow branches each day.

Speaking to RIA Novosti on October 10, the representative reported healthy appetites. Keepers and zoo engineers work with each giraffe individually and have learned to distinguish their personalities as well as their appearance.

The five females and three males of the Angolan subspecies arrived in Kazan on the evening of September 17. They travelled from Namibia on a chartered Volga-Dnepr Il-76 cargo flight, accompanied by specialists under the required transport conditions.

Six of the young animals have been named Atea, Zhanna, Alliki, Lola, Leo and Batyr. Names for the remaining two have yet to be chosen.

Their varied diet mainly consists of willow branches, hay and compound feed for leaf-eating animals, with small amounts of fruit and vegetables. Although the representative described them as relatively undemanding eaters, the transition to local feed is gradual.

Willows were planted for the anticipated arrivals in 2019 at the zoo's new Zambezi River area. An avenue of trees now stands in the service area of the giraffe house. The giraffes quickly accepted the new food and eat about 40 bundles daily, each weighing 1 to 1.5 kilograms.

Staff are preparing a winter supply by collecting, drying and freezing the branches, allowing them to stock familiar feed ahead of the colder season.

The giraffes remain wary of people and sensitive to small changes around them. Visitors are asked not to knock on the glass or use flash photography.

Viewing is currently permitted from the second floor through small clear openings. The rest of the glass has temporarily been covered with giraffe-patterned Oracal film. The zoo said this helps the animals adjust more calmly to unfamiliar sounds and smells.