The Birmingham Zoo has a fourth giraffe. Onduli, a one-year-old male calf, arrived from the Dallas Zoo last week and was formally introduced to the public on the morning of October 12, 2026, at the Kiwanis Giraffe Encounter.
He was born on September 24, 2025, to mother Katie and father Tebogo at the Dallas Zoo, where he lived in the Giants of the Savanna habitat. His name means giraffe in Oshiwambo, a language of northern Namibia and Angola, chosen to honor the region where conservation partners work to protect wild giraffe populations.
Who else lives in Trails of Africa?
Three female giraffes: Zuri, who is 16, Ruby, who is 7, and Mopane, who is 2. The zoo reports that all four animals are getting along well, which is the condition it was waiting on before putting Onduli in front of guests. A giraffe herd is not assembled by opening a gate, and a yearling male joining three resident females is the kind of introduction that gets measured in weeks.
Visitors can expect to watch him grow into the group. At one year old he is still well short of adult height, and the Kiwanis Giraffe Encounter puts guests at the eye level of an animal whose eye level keeps rising.
Why did a giraffe move from Dallas to Birmingham?
The transfer is part of the Species Survival Plan run by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. A Species Survival Plan is the cooperative breeding and placement program that treats the animals at every accredited institution as one managed population rather than as separate collections. A young male who has reached the age where he would naturally leave his natal group is exactly the animal those plans move, and a facility with three females and room in the herd is exactly where he goes.
Birmingham is the only AZA-accredited facility in Alabama, which makes its place in that network a single point on the map for the whole state.
Arrivals like this one are a steady part of the beat. We covered a comparable introduction when JoAnn joined the herd at the Oakland Zoo, and Birmingham’s own most recent build was the axolotl habitat that opened in July.
Onduli is on habitat now.
Quick answers
- Who is Onduli?
A male giraffe calf born September 24, 2025, at the Dallas Zoo to mother Katie and father Tebogo. He arrived at the Birmingham Zoo in October 2026 and was formally introduced on October 12.
- What does the name Onduli mean?
Giraffe, in Oshiwambo, a language of northern Namibia and Angola. The zoo chose it to honor the region where conservation partners work to protect wild giraffe populations.
- How many giraffes does the Birmingham Zoo have?
Four, with Onduli. The other three are females: Zuri, 16, Ruby, 7, and Mopane, 2.
- Where can I see him?
In Trails of Africa. The Kiwanis Giraffe Encounter is where he was formally introduced to the public.
- Why did he move from Dallas to Birmingham?
Through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, the cooperative program that manages animals across accredited institutions as one population and decides where each individual should live.
- Is the Birmingham Zoo accredited?
The zoo reports that it is the only AZA-accredited facility in Alabama.
