Two Baby Masai Giraffes Debut on Kilimanjaro Safaris Savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Hi everyone!

Disney released photos of two baby Masai giraffes that were introduced yesterday on the Kilimanjaro Safaris savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park! Dr. Mark Penning, Vice President of Disney’s Animals, Science & Environment talked about the two giraffe calves in an Instagram post. They are named Maple and Zella.

All photos are by photographer David Roark.

The two giraffes have been with their moms Mara and Willow backstage until yesterday after being born a couple of months ago.

Maple’s name was chosen because keepers noticed a spot on her skin looked like a maple leaf. And Disney says of Zella’s name that it means, “’beautiful girl who knows the path’ in Slavic and African languages.”

Here is one last look from Disney. There have been so many babies born lately, we almost always see at least a couple of animal babies when we take a ride on the Kilimanjaro Safaris. If you watched “The Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom” on Disney+, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look (including when animal keepers and vets find out about animal pregnancies!)

I look forward to seeing the new giraffes on the savanna soon!