On Monday, October 22, the Greenville Zoo celebrated Kiko the giraffe’s first birthday. The zoo welcomed almost 300 visitors of all ages to enjoy the festivities. There was a cake for Kiko made of crackers, banana paste, and hay as well as a cake for the visitors attending the celebration. Decorations and different tents were set up around the giraffe enclosure. The event was endorsed in part by the radio station My 102.5.
Last year around this time, people around the country were anticipating the birth of the giraffe. Giraffes are rarely born in captivity, so Kiko’s birth was a very exciting event. He was born around 11:50 at night after his mother, Autumn, went through almost an hour of labor. Autumn is a seven year old Masai giraffe who has been loaned to the Greenville Zoo from the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston. Walter, Kiko’s father, is from the San Diego Zoo (greenvilleonline.com). Both of these giraffes have been in the Greenville Zoo since July of 2007 (greenvillezoo.com).
Through EarthCam, a company that provided the live stream of the birth, almost a million people across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Finland, and France witnessed the birth live (wbtv.com). Social media was flourishing with excitement about the monumental birth. Christ Church junior Eileen Robertson commented on the birth, saying, “I was really excited about it and I just thought it was cool that you could just watch the giraffe being born.”
Kiko has grown immensely this year, now reaching over nine feet tall. He continues to be a favorite attraction at the zoo and brings in hundreds of visitors every week.
The birthday celebration was followed by the annual event, Boo in the Zoo. Boo in the Zoo has been going on for more than 25 years. Each year the zoo is decorated with various Halloween decorations and inflatables. Children of all ages dress up and collect candy at different exhibits all around the zoo. The celebration emphasizes its family friendly atmosphere and non-scary fun. This year Boo in the Zoo was October 18-20 and the 25-27. As usual this festival brought enjoyment to children of all ages during the Halloween season while also providing exposure to the vast wildlife of our planet.