Disney World: Baby giraffe Tucker takes first look around savanna

[Disney4me]

Tucker, the newborn giraffe at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, has made his public debut on the theme park’s savanna, mingling with other creatures and having new experiences, including puddle splashing.

The calf, born Feb. 13, joined his mother and other giraffes for a first stroll Monday. Park visitors may spot him as they ride through the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction at Walt Disney World. He’s the short one, relatively speaking, now standing at about 6 feet tall.

Day One was about exploration.

“We want him to see the whole savanna. We want him to see the barriers and everything,” said Jenn Hernandez, animal care manager. “I always laugh when they see elephants for the first time because it’s like watching TV for them. They’re like, ‘What is this?’”

Tucker pokes his head out from behind a palm tree as he makes his public debut at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

He’s also learning from other giraffes where their food is stashed and how to get back to the barn. After a bit of wandering, the group moved toward a gate on the edge of the savanna.

“This is actually something we do want to see … that he knows where to go back home,” Hernandez said.

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Cast members monitored Tucker’s actions with other savanna residents such as zebras, sable antelopes and springbok.

“He realized there are animals smaller than him today, so all of a sudden he’s like ‘Oh, hello,” Hernandez said. “He’s always been the small one, and now he has someone smaller.”

Everyday occurrences are fresh ones to Tucker, the first giraffe born at Animal Kingdom since 2021.

“You saw him going up the hill. That was his first time, so he’s still learning,” said Dr. Mark Penning, vice president of Disney’s Animals, Sciences and Environment.

“He got his feet wet. … He was shaking his leg like a cat, which is really interesting. He has all these new sensations,” Penning said.

Animal Kingdom visitors ride through the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction and past some of the theme park’s giraffes on Monday. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Disney had people stationed across the savanna for Tucker’s protection. Burlap fencing divided him from the neighboring elephant habitat. That will remain in place for a couple of weeks, Penning said.

“We’re trying to help him not get too excited because if he gets too excited and he goes rushing off, he could get himself in trouble,” he said.

Since birth, Tucker has been backstage bonding with his mother Mara, who has given birth twice previously. The addition of Disney’s new calf was made in conjunction with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and its Species Survival Plan.

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He has been “gaining strength and confidence and also building a relationship with the keepers,” Hernandez said.

The arrival of Tucker is “a reminder for us to continue the work that we’ve been doing for so long. Conservation originated with Walt Disney, way back in the beginning. He was a big conservationist. said Claire Martin, senior manager of nature strategy and integration, corporate environmental sustainability

“He cared about animals and sharing stories of the natural world,” she said. “And this, you get to drive through a story of the natural world.”

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