Santa Barbara zoo giraffe - prepare your kids

[dd74]

This weekend, we drove up to the Santa Barbara zoo. It is a nice, small and digestible zoo - nothing large and exhausting like the L.A. and San Diego zoos.

However, in the giraffe exhibit is a crooked-neck giraffe. The portion where the neck is crooked is in the shape of a Z, and one can see a large bone nearly protruding through the animal's skin.

Some people (I later found out), actually warn visitors to the zoo to prepare themselves for the giraffe, stating that it is "quite a shocking image."

To say the least, some of the adults were "freaked" and had to quickly exit the area. Children, being tougher than adults, were more intrigued, though a couple were a bit traumatized. Signs posted around the exhibit insist the giraffe is healthy. She has even given birth successfully. Supposedly, this is the only giraffe of its kind in captivity.

From my point of view, the girfaffe is strange looking, and my daughter was hesitant, but soon came around to looking at the animal. But YMMV with your own kids.

Just a friendly warning for anyone going up to the Santa Barbara zoo.

[Overpaid Slacker]

WTF? No pix? A giraffe w/ a Z-shaped neck and no freaking pix?!?

Instead of bracing the kids for how the giraffe looks, I should be warning my fellow P-heads that there's going to be this build-up, whetting the appetite for an image -- only to be thoroughly, utterly disappointed.

Worst. Thread. Ever.



JP

[RickM]

From www.santabarbarazoo.org

"EXHIBIT
Giraffe Exhibit

You may have noticed that one of the giraffes at the Zoo (in the photo above) has a crooked neck. This giraffe was born at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in July 1986. She arrived at the Santa Barbara Zoo in good health in July 1987. As she matured, her neck developed a small kink, which has increased gradually over the last ten years. This particular giraffe has reproduced at the Zoo and has not shown any signs of pain. We suspect that this kink has formed from an unstable joint in her neck. The unstable joint is most likely due to a benign bony growth near the joint surface. As this mass grows, it will slowly displace the two bones, producing the angle. She functions normally and continually monitored for any signs of pain or changes in her general health."

They have a pic but just of the giraffe's head...no neck.

[vash]

damn, i smell a road trip to santa barbara!

[VaSteve]

Originally posted by dd74
It is a nice, small and digestible zoo -

BTW:

[DByers]

Okay, this is a bunch of krap.

David, You come into my back yard and make fun of my pets without even calling me? What is up with that!




Honestly though the SB Zoo is one of the best around. Like dd74 said you can walk the whole park and see all there is to see with out having to trek miles upon miles. The new Africa ex is fantastic. The zoo is right on the beach and its in Santa Barbara. What else is there to say.
Now to said crooked neck. I can swing by and snap pics for those who wish to see as it is less then 5min walking distance from my office. My kids have no problem with the giraffe. They do prefer the sea otters and elepohants.
For any of those who find their way to my humble town drop an email if you want to meet up. We are family members of the zoo and are there just about every other weekend. Usually ride the bikes along the beach. Head to the zoo for a few hours and then grab an early dinner at one of the great places to eat in Santa Barbara.

[RickM]

Well, sounds nice but I think I'm taking a day trip with my daughter to the Bronx zoo sometime this week. One of the nicest zoos I've seen...but not on the beach.

[dd74]

Alright Slack and VA, do you guys really need photos? Isn't my description enough? I've failed you...I have...failed...you...

Anyway: I'll try to find photos. Sorry, I don't carry digital anything. If I did, I could have gotten a shot of the dingo that mistakenly found itself in the lion's cage. Now that was a sight...

Just call me "a tease."

[Moses]

[vash]

ewwww! moses, that photochop gave me the whillies! good job.

[nostatic]

Is this a Bangle-designed giraffe?

[Bill Douglas]

I can recommend a good chiropractor...

[john70t]

The odd vertabrae is a genetic bonus that allows it to feed off the screw-pine, the oldest tree in existance.

[dd74]

Originally posted by Moses

Moses is spot-on with the giraffe. The last two bends are actually straight on the real specimen, but he's got it with the first bend just below her face. Even the bone protrusion (if you look closely) is correct. Straighten her out from the first bend and that's what she looks like.

Good job!