OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium celebrated Hope the giraffe's first birthday on Tuesday. It is not only a milestone birthday because it is her first, but also because of all she has overcome.
- Hope was rejected by her mother at birth
- “It, uh, looked pretty dire early on if I'm being honest with you guys.”
- One year later, she is a healthy 662 pounds and about eight feet tall.
- The zoo and its visitors celebrated with cupcakes and giveaways.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
We’re celebrating a birthday on this beautiful Tuesday!
I’m Zach Williamson at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium – where Hope the giraffe officially turns one year old.
A milestone birthday that at one point was uncertain.
“She’s doing very well, and I'm happy to say that she's one year old today and thriving like we wanted her to be,” Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium Senior Hoof Stock Keeper Josh Shandera said.
One year since her birth -- hope weights 662 pounds, is right around eight feet tall, and is the life of the herd.
“She knows she’s the star of the show, right?”
She’s come a far way in 365 days. The hoof stock and veterinarian teams weren’t sure this day would come.
“It, uh, looked pretty dire early on if I'm being honest with you guys,” Shandera said. “Because of the fact that she was unable to nurse from her mother, she did miss out on something called colostrum, which is a mother’s first milk. It contains the necessary antibodies for developing a strong immune system.”
Her mother rejected her, and she needed hand rearing – along with daily antibiotics that were injected through a catheter in her neck.
She was fully weaned off the bottle around thanksgiving and integrated with the herd
“You know, it’s important to note, without her being as strong as she was and having the will that she did to survive and fight, we may not be her,” Shandera said. “So, I think we definitely owe a little bit of our success to her as well.”
The zoo and the visitors Tuesday celebrated with cupcakes and giveaways – and Shandera says they had some special treat for Hope, too.
Now it’s time for me to dig in and celebrate! Reporting from Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium – I'm Zach Williamson.
