Published: 7:15AM Monday April 15, 2013 Source: ONE News
A giraffe born and raised at Auckland Zoo has begun her journey to Melbourne to be part of an Australasian breeding programme.
Nakuru, who stands at 3 metres tall and weighs nearly 500 kilograms, has been loaded into a special shipping crate and will travel through the streets of Grey Lynn and Mt Eden on the back of a lorry before arriving at the Auckland Port.
Pridelands team leader Nat Sullivan said residents might be able to catch a glimpse of the African-native during her travels, as the crate she is in has an open roof for her to stick her head out.
"She's a really confident animal, she's not scared of much.
Sullivan said while the 15-month-old would be missed at the zoo, she was sure Nakuru would be taken care of at her new home.
"I know she's going to another really good zoo, and I know she'll be really well looked after there."
Nakuru has been undergoing crate-training for the past month to prepare her for the long journey, as well as being vaccinated and fitted with a micro-chip containing identification information.
"We will be spending a lot of time with her and checking on her regularly, which will hopefully help her feel secure," said Sullivan.
The zookeeper will accompany Nakuru onboard the ship to Australia, where she will spend her first in month in quarantine at Weribee Open Range Zoo before heading to Melbourne Zoo.
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