Oakland Zoo’s newest giraffe walked into her habitat for the first time in June, and she did not do it alone.
Joann, a two-year-old female, arrived from The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in April 2026 and spent her first weeks behind the scenes in the giraffe barns completing quarantine. She was not isolated during it. The zoo gave her close contact with Maggie, at 14 the oldest female in the herd, who served as her guide into the new setting.
Led onto the habitat by a mentor
When the introduction came, Maggie led Joann out and stayed with her. Joann’s first steps were hesitant, and then they were not.
She met the rest of the herd next, including the zoo’s young bull and two other females. Giraffe tend to accept new herd members readily, and after a round of mutual sniffing the expanded group settled into browsing and foraging together.
“Joann is incredibly sweet and seeks out connections with the other giraffes and her new Animal Care Keepers,” said Jessica Parke, an Oakland Zoo animal care keeper. “She is very brave, and her curiosity grows every day. We can’t wait to watch her grow here at Oakland Zoo!”
Why a two-year-old needed another two-year-old
The move followed a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, aimed at breeding success and animal welfare. Part of the reasoning was Kendi, another two-year-old female already at Oakland, who now has a peer her own age.
Wild female giraffe form long social bonds, often spending much of their lives together and helping raise one another’s calves. Giving Kendi and Joann each other opens up the play and the more complicated social relationships that a mixed-age herd supports. With Joann’s arrival the Oakland herd spans three generations.
