Young giraffes meet zebras and rhinos

Two young giraffes met zebras and rhinos for the first time on the savannah plains of Burgers' Zoo under the watchful eyes of their mothers

Two young giraffes stood face to face with zebras and rhinos on the savannah plains of Royal Burgers' Zoo for the first time on Friday, 13 February 2026. Newborn giraffes spend their first months in a heated stable or in off-exhibit separation enclosures, depending on the weather. They are only introduced to the other species once they have gained secure footing.

The ultimate test: zebras and rhinos

The world literally keeps getting bigger for two young giraffes at Burgers' Zoo. On Friday, 13 February, two young females, aged 3 months and 23 days and 2 months and 17 days, respectively, made their first acquaintance with the zebras and rhinos on the savannah plains of Burgers' Safari. The meeting with the bold, inquisitive zebras and the heavy, impressive rhinos was the ultimate test of the new arrivals’ readiness. The young calves had already been carefully introduced to the antelope species.

Two calves courtesy of GaiaZOO

The two calves are both daughters of the breeding bull that came to Arnhem from GaiaZOO, born to two different cows. One of the mothers is from Aalborg, Denmark, and arrived in Arnhem in 2024. The other mother was born in Arnhem. The tower of giraffes in Arnhem also includes an older calf from last year, who was sadly rejected by her mother. With the help of the zookeepers and biologists, she has been successfully raised and adopted by a surrogate mother.

Zebras are bold and inquisitive

Zebras are quick to inspect any newcomers on the savannah inquisitively and test them when they can. As such, a young giraffe must have secure footing and be able to seek out the safety of its mother and the group in time, should the zebras become too curious and intrusive. The novelty usually wears off quickly for the zebras after the initial introduction has taken place and the newcomers have been ‘approved’