Giraffe Iniko Relocated 40 Miles to New Zoo Residence

Iniko, a giraffe, has been relocated nearly 40 miles (64.37km) to a different zoo. Africa Alive Reserve, situated in Kessingland near Lowestoft, Suffolk, marked Iniko’s departure early on Friday. Her journey involved transport in a specialized trailer to Banham Zoo in Norfolk, where two other giraffes reside. Zoe Nunn, an animal manager at Africa Alive, stated that Iniko would benefit from increased space at Banham Zoo. Ms. Nunn elaborated, “We have [Iniko’s] mum and dad here so we’re hoping to breed in the future.” She further added, “Iniko is going to go over to Banham where there’s a little bit more space and then we’ve got mum and dad here so we’ll hopefully have some more little baby giraffes in the future.” Both zoological facilities operate under the umbrella of the Zoological Society of East Anglia, maintaining a close collaborative relationship. Iniko, who is four years old, was born at Africa Alive Reserve. Her caretakers dedicated time to accustom her to the trailer used for her relocation. Ms. Nunn described the vehicle: “It’s a specialised trailer – it looks a little bit like a horse box but it has extensions which make the top go higher.” She also noted, “The transport people we have are specialised in giraffe moves across the world.” Facilitated by treats, Iniko was guided into the trailer without significant difficulty before commencing her journey to Banham Zoo. Ms. Nunn recounted the process: “It happened very quickly. She was a little bit stubborn, but [with] encouragement from Emily and Lou she went in and she was a good girl.” She also expressed the sentiment of the staff: “The keepers are going to miss her, they work with her every single day and she was born here.” However, she added, “But it’s for the breeding programme and in the future, she may go off and have her own youngsters.” Emily Payne, Iniko’s keeper, mentioned that Iniko received food inside her trailer for the trip, intended to maintain her comfort. Payne stated, “We’re really relieved that she’s safely on her way.” She further commented, “It’s always a little stressful moving a large animal but it was really nice to see how calm she was during the whole process.”