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Noa
enjoys life at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.
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FOSSIL RIM WILDLIFE CENTER ANNOUNCES
WINNER OF BABY GIRAFFE NAMING CONTEST
A Reticulated Giraffe Born at Fossil Rim on Sept.
22, 2005 to Mom, Big Cow, Has a Name
Glen Rose, Texas (November
30, 2005) – After
15 months of pregnancy, Big Cow, a 22-year-old reticulated
giraffe at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, gave birth to
a healthy baby male on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2005, as park
visitors looked on. He is an estimated 6 feet tall and
150 lbs. This is the sixth giraffe in the herd, the 40th
born at Fossil Rim and Big Cow’s sixth baby. On
October 15, 2005 Fossil Rim announced they would hold
a naming contest, Rebecca Fortson from Coppell, TX won
for her entry “Noa” meaning “to stretch” in
Swahili. Fortson was one of over 300 entries.
She will receive an
overnight stay at Fossil Rim’s Foothills Safari Camp, as well as a Behind
the Scenes Conservation Tour for two. The Foothills Safari
Camp has cabins with two twin beds, fresh linens, private
bath, ceiling fans, central heat and air, and a flashlight.
On the tour, you will wander off the beaten path and
explore the Intensive Management Area where Fossil Rim
holds many of their endangered species including wolves,
cheetahs, black rhinos and the Attwater’s Prairie
Chickens. This is a great opportunity to learn about
the research and conservation efforts at Fossil Rim.
Dates to be mutually agreed upon by winner and Fossil
Rim.
Noa was born while his mother remained standing, so it has a five to six-foot
drop, head first. He was able to walk within just a few hours. The young male
is expected to nurse for about the next 13 months and will remain close to
his mother for several more. He will grow to approximately 18 feet tall. A
female giraffe was born a few weeks after Noa, named Jurz. Both can be seen
on the drive through at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.
About Giraffes:
Giraffes are the tallest living land animals. They live in the game preserve
of Fossil Rim and migrate throughout their pasture to their preferred food.
Visitors will notice that the trees in the game preserve have been stripped
of leafs on the lower limbs because of the giraffes browsing. The browse
line is at approximately 18 feet on hardwood trees.
On hot days, they often sleep standing up for brief “naps”, and
lie down when sleeping for about 20 minutes. Giraffes are usually quiet and
make very few vocalizations. Their patterns are unique to each individual animal,
much like a human fingerprint is unique.
About Fossil Rim: The
not-for-profit Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is a 1,800
acre facility that specializes in captive-breeding programs
for endangered and threatened animal species. Fossil
Rim is located in Glen Rose, Texas, southwest of the
Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. To help fund its
award-winning conservation efforts, Fossil Rim operates
a scenic wildlife drive that is open to the public. The
2-4 hour drive offers a unique opportunity for visitors,
in all weather across all seasons, to closely observe
more than 50 species of wild animals living in a near-natural
environment, as well as enjoy a café and gift
store. Fossil Rim partners in international species survival
and recovery efforts for 14 endangered species of regional,
national and international importance. Fossil Rim is
approximately a one-hour drive from Fort Worth, a two-hour
drive from Dallas, a three-hour drive from Austin and
a four-hour drive from Houston. For more information
call (254) 897-2960.
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