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Baby Kianga. (August 10, 2012) |
On the eve of Tanganyika Wildlife Park’s second annual Twilight Tour, to be held Saturday, August 11th, there is a new baby giraffe to celebrate.
Kianga, the female giraffe being housed at Tanganyika from Minot, North Dakota, gave birth to a healthy baby on Thursday, her first calf since coming to Tanganyika last year. With final preparations underway for the Twilight Tour, the new baby’s birth shows excellent timing – the first Twilight Tour, held last August, benefitted refugees like Kianga from the Roosevelt Park Zoo.
Last June, flooding of the Souris River devastated Minot, North Dakota, and forced the evacuation of the Roosevelt Park Zoo’s animal residents. Within 24 hours, Tanganyika took in the Zoo’s entire big cat collection and 3 giraffes, including Kianga. Several other Minot residents including zebras, hornbills, and red river hogs were taken in by Tanganyika over the months that followed. More than a year later, Roosevelt Park Zoo is just beginning the rebuilding process, which is estimated to take $60 million. This means that Kianga and her new baby will be at Tanganyika for a while longer before they are able to return home.
The addition of the Minot animals stretched our young zoo’s budget past its limits, prompting us to set aside a special Tanganyika Winter Fund as part of our 501(c)(3) Saving a Species Fund’s efforts. Proceeds raised at Saturday night’s exclusive event will benefit the Tanganyika Winter Fund, helping to raise the nearly $600,000 required to help care for all the rare and endangered animals at Tanganyika.
The Twilight Tour is an intimate affair that will include wine, beer and food samplings from local establishments, free interactive animal feeding experiences, visits with animal keepers, access to behind-the-scenes animal areas, and the Wichita Family Vision auction, which includes art created by some of Tanganyika’s animal residents. Randall, narrator of the popular YouTube video “Honey Badger Don’t Care”, will be a guest of honor at the event and will present during the auction. Tickets to this unique event are $55 per person and may be purchased online at www.twpark.com or at the door.
Tanganyika Wildlife Park is an organization dedicated to sharing their passion for animals by providing REAL experiences that are entertaining and educational in order to have a significant impact in the stewardship of selected species. The Park has been operating since 1986 and first opened to the public August 2nd, 2008. Tanganyika Wildlife Park is West of 183rd St W on Maple in Goddard, KS. The Park’s hours are currently 9:00-5:00 daily. For more information on the Park, please visit www.twpark.com or like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/twparkfans.
