Zuri, a giraffe from the Auckland Zoo, has boarded a truck to her new home in Wellington.
According to reports, Zuri was loaded to a crate and lifted using a crane from her enclosure. She was then lifter from a truck to another truck for for the trip.
According to Auckland Zoo’s Karen Simpson, who is in charge of the transfer, they have been training Zuri to get used to the crate. “She looked pretty settled when she left here, and she’s been quite settled this morning right throughout the whole process.”
Zuri has been amusing a lot of people along the way: “A lot of people both in cars and on the footpath who can’t quite believe what they’re seeing. We’re bringing a lot of smiles to people,” said Nat Sullivan, team leader of Pridelands at Auckland Zoo.
The one-year-old giraffe will be making a few stops at some North Island towns before hopping off at the Wellington Zoo. In
In the small town of Waiouru, local braved the cold to see and welcome Zuri to the neighborhood.
Marama Stewart, who took her son to see Zuri, said that the wait and cold was worth it. “They were just amazed — they were very excited, but had to be quiet so they didn’t upset the giraffe.”
“I think a couple of the mums were more excited than some of the kids,” she added.
The trip faced some bumps along the way. The truck transporting Zuri was lodged under an overpass on Great South Road in Auckland–a metal part from the bridge hit the top of the container Zuri was in. This was later fixed by contractors, and Zuri’s carers said that she “took it all in her stride.”
In Wellington, Zuri will be joining Tisa and Zahara, mother and daughter giraffes. Tisa is Zuri’s grandmother, and Zahara is her aunt.
