Unnami was born in Monarto Zoo back in 2005 and arrived at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in 2008 to join our breeding herd as the breeding bull.  He settled in and went straight to work as the breeding male and has since sired 25 calves, making him well and truly represented in the gene pool!

Unnami is an impressive looking 13 year old male, with a distinctive dark coat colour, lumpy head and a swagger in his step.  He has wowed visitors at Taronga Western Plains Zoo for the past decade with his appearance at the daily Giraffe in Focus encounters and instigating herd stampedes around the exhibit.
It’s the Zoo’s commitment to maintain genetic diversity in the zoo-based giraffe population, and therefore it is now time for a new male to join our breeding group.  Unnami will be retiring to the African Savannah exhibit here at the zoo in the coming months where he will be introduced to the bachelor group quartet and enjoy retirement with the boys.  Visitors will still be able to get up close and personal with Unnami on our daily Savannah Safari bus tours, or wake up to the bachelor boys feeding out the front of overnight accommodation at Zoofari Lodge.

In the meantime, we are excited to announce the arrival of a new male, Mtoto.  He is a young two year old male giraffe who has recently made his way to Dubbo from Mogo Zoo on the South Coast.  Mtoto has some maturing to do, but we are sure he will continue on the great work that Unnami has been doing for years to come.

By Giraffe Keeper, Nick Bourke