'How the heck do you hide a giraffe?': Here's when Topeka Zoo giraffes will walk to new exhibit

The Topeka Zoo plans for its three giraffes to be walked in late September from their current location to their new home in the zoo's "Giraffe and Friends" exhibit, zoo director Brendan Wiley told reporters Wednesday.

That exhibit will open March 10, a date carefully chosen to coincide with the start of spring break and the opening of the Kansas Kids Wrestling tournament in Topeka, he said.

In the months between, people in the area will probably catch glimpses of the giraffes, Wiley said.

"How the heck do you hide a giraffe?" he joked.

It's unclear if moving the giraffes will take '30 minutes or two weeks'

Wiley stood at a lectern while speaking at a news conference Wednesday outside the $8.3 million, 3.5-acre Giraffe and Friends exhibit, which remains under construction on the zoo's southern edge. Groundbreaking for the project took place in June 2021.

The zoo has two female reticulated giraffes, Hope and her daughter Liz and one male reticulated giraffe, Sarge. Reticulated giraffes are an endangered species.

The zoo plans to acquire more giraffes but hasn't done that yet, Wiley said.

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An exact date for Hope, Liza and Sarge to be moved hasn't been set, though the move will take place at a time when conditions are right and "not much activity" is going on, he said.

Plans call for the giraffes to be in safety chutes as they are walked to their new home, zookeeper Adrienne Sebade said at Wednesday's news conference.

The zoo will seek to keep information regarding the move "top secret" in advance, Wiley said.

It wasn't clear whether moving the giraffes would take "30 minutes or two weeks," he said.

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New Topeka Zoo exhibit will feature antelope, gazelles, ostriches, cranes

Plans call for the new exhibit to have a 10,000-square-foot giraffe building and a 4,000-square-foot hoofstock barn featuring animals that will include antelope, gazelles, ostriches and cranes.

Giraffe and Friends will also feature a shared outdoor space where all those animals will be able to interact.

The zoo in November and December will begin introducing the other animals to the exhibit, Wiley said.

Some of those animals will be brought in from other zoos, and will need to initially undergo a 30-day quarantine, he said.

The zoo as part of Giraffe and Friends is also focusing on making a difference in helping giraffe populations out in the wild, he said.

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Giraffe and Friends is zoo's third high-dollar project since 2018

The Giraffe and Friends project includes the construction of a second "group entrance" at the zoo's southwest corner to enable children on school buses and groups of senior citizens to enter more easily, Wiley said.

He noted that Giraffe and Friends will be the third new exhibit created in recent years in that area of the zoo, where the $4.5 million Camp Cowabunga opened in 2018 and the $7 million Kay McFarland Japanese Garden opened in 2020.

Each of those exhibits was developed as part of public-private partnerships, Wiley said.

The Giraffe and Friends project remains "right on budget," despite high inflation. Contractors involved have also dealt with shipping delays and problems getting certain materials, he said.

Plans call for current giraffe location to house tigers

The giraffes live in the zoo's Animals and Man Building, which was built in 1966.

That building still has "good bones," and the zoo has long-term plans to keep its Sumatran tigers there as part of a new exhibit featuring that species, WIley said.

The Giraffe and Friends facility will house the giraffes in a manner that promotes wellness for that species, he said.

"You'll be surprised at how cushy it is," Wiley said, noting that the surface will put less stress on the joints of the giraffes that walk on it.

More: Problems with a tumorous joint forced Topeka Zoo to euthanize Abi, a 9-year-old giraffe

Hope lived up to her name

Abi, a 9-year-old female reticulated giraffe at the Topeka Zoo, was euthanized in March after ongoing problems she was having with a tumorous joint in a leg were found to be irreversible.

Hope, one of the current giraffes, was born with joint problems on her back legs but was saved by a local veterinarian Joseph Kamer, who was filling in there.

Kamer decided within hours of Hope's birth to place red fiberglass casts on those legs He developed a series of ground-breaking medical procedures that included wooden “shoes," artificial tendons and external support wraps. Zookeepers stretched her legs twice daily during her physical therapy.

Hope ran for the first time when she was a month old, moments before she was to appear on "The Today Show." Her story came full circle in August 2018 when she birthed a healthy calf, Liz. Both remain at the zoo.

Tim Hrenchir can be reached at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka Zoo shares plans for opening of 'Giraffe and Friends' exhibit