Livingston S, Sullivan K, Kerr K, Valdez E. 2015. Birth weights and growth rates of giraffe and okapi at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In Bissell H, Brooks M Eds. Proceedings of the Eleventh Conference on Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition, AZA Nutrition Advisory Group, Portland, OR.
There is a lack of information available regarding the average birth weights and growth rates of many exotic animal species. This information can prove useful when evaluating the health of new born animals in a zoological setting. Within 24 to 48 hours of birth, giraffe (Giraffa camelopardis) and okapi (Okapia johnstoni) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are weighed and health is assessed as part of the regular neonate exam. Body weights are gathered as available to monitor growth. The birth weights of 19 giraffe and 5 okapi are reported within as are the growth curves of 21 giraffe and 5 okapi. The average birth weight of giraffe at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (DAK) from 1998 through 2015 is 64.64 kg +/- 7.41 kg (n=19). The average birth weight of male giraffe at DAK is 65.83 +/- 7.34 kg (n=11) and female giraffe is 63.0 +/- 7.68 kg (n=8). By one year of age, the average weight of giraffe at DAK is 382 kg +/- 28.83 kg (n=17). The average birth weight of okapi at DAK is 16.0 +/- 0.64 kg (n=5). This is lower than the average birth weight of 19.6 kg reported by the Brookfield Zoo (Reason, 1991). By one year of age, the average weight of okapi at DAK is 175.75 +/- 3.18 kg (n=5). Growth curves for male giraffe through the first year are displayed in Figure 1 and those for female giraffe are shown in Figure 2. Growth curves for okapi are shown in Figure 3. It is hoped that this information may prove useful when assessing the health and growth of other giraffe and okapi in zoological settings.40_Livingston2.pdf     96 KB