Feed a Giraffe at Audubon Zoo!
Audubon Zoo has a new and exciting way for guests to experience the grace and beauty of some of our most popular animals. For a small fee, guests can offer a lettuce snack to Maverick or Fennessy, the Zoo’s two young giraffes.
Snack time is daily at 2:00 p.m. for these two growing giraffes. Guests who want to take part in the feeding can do so by visiting the giraffe exhibit and purchasing tokens for snacks to offer these youngsters. Our two giraffes love getting lettuce snacks and come close to the front of the exhibit while using their long purple tongues to grab the snack from guests. The feeding takes place at Twiga Terrace presented by Manning Family Children’s. As the giraffes become more comfortable with the interaction, more morning feeding times may be added.
“Providing a way for our guests to interact with our young giraffes helps strengthen the connection with the animals in our care and highlights the importance of protecting animals in the wild,” said Michael J. Sawaya, Audubon Nature Institute President-CEO and L. Ronald Forman Chair in Conservation Leadership.
So far, the giraffe most interested in greeting guests and enjoying snacks so far is Maverick, who was born at the Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center (FMASSC) located on the Westbank. Named for the main character in the popular Top Gun movies, Maverick is 12½ feet tall but will reach down to get close to guests for his lettuce snacks.
The tallest of the giraffes is Fennessy who is 14 feet tall. He came to New Orleans from the Abilene Zoo and is named after the founder and director of the Giraffe Conservation Fund, Julian Fennessy. Even though he is tallest, Fennessy is more shy with new experiences than Maverick. He is usually seen peering over fences from the giraffe barn, as he gets used to his new home and may not approach guests for a snack…which means more for Maverick for now!
The giraffe feeding experience costs just $5 and happens daily at 2:00 p.m. at the giraffe enclosure’s feeding platform at Twiga Terrace presented by Manning Family Children’s.
“As a longstanding partner of Audubon Nature Institute, Manning Family Children’s is proud to support the Zoo’s mission, as a pillar in our community,” said Lucio A. Fragoso, President and CEO of Manning Family Children’s. “In honor of our 70-year commitment to serving the kids and families of our community, we are proud to support mission-aligned community organizations and form meaningful partnerships across our community that amplify the lives of those we serve. The new giraffe feeding exhibit will help kids and families experience the wonder of nature, and we are excited to help make these moments possible for many years to come.”
Male giraffes can grow up to 18 feet and weigh up to 4,600 pounds. Native to parts of Africa, they are the tallest land animals with necks up to six feet long. Giraffes don’t reach their full height until they are four years old, so both Fennessy and Maverick will get much taller.