I 
BEISA ORYX “ SUKY 
Photo by Kemsley Newspapers 
WITH HER DAY-OLD CALF 
Outstanding in the present 
collection is a fine pair of 
beisa oryx which came 
from Kenya Colony in 
1946. This is a very 
handsome species in which 
both sexes carry long 
sabre-like horns, although 
the male specimen shown 
here has worn his horns 
down considerably. A female calf was born in the Gardens on the 29th October, 1950. 
Also from East Africa are the dainty Thomson’s gazelle (the males carrying horns 
which ultimately reach fifteen inches in length), and the sitatunga or marsh antelopes. 
The most interesting characteristics of these animals are the long splayed hooves, enabling 
them to walk with comparative 
ease over marshland and bog; 
and the gracefully shaped horns 
of the males which suggest the 
outlines of the lyre. Mature 
males have a white “harness” 
pattern of stripes which 
contrasts with the greyish- 
brown of the rest of the 
coat. The females are plain 
reddish-brown. The sitatunga 
is credited with sleeping almost 
submerged in water with only 
the tip of the nose visible. 
When the sitatunga first arrived 
at the Zoo they were kept on 
concrete but as this seemed to 
cause them some discomfort 
they were transferred to a 
grassed enclosure. The 
muddier this becomes the 
happier th§ SpijItRls appear Photo by Kemsley Newspapers 
t0 be * SITATUNGA OR MARSH ANTELOPES IN THE SNOW 
Sixteen 
ANTELOPES 
I F we exclude the re¬ 
markable prongbuck of 
the Rocky Mountains of 
North America, antelopes 
and gazelles are found 
exclusively in the Old 
World, Africa being 
exceptionally rich in the 
number of species which 
are still to be found in 
certain areas. The great 
disparity between the 
many various species is 
illustrated by comparing 
the mighty eland, weigh¬ 
ing 1,500 pounds, with 
the exquisite little royal 
antelope from West Africa, 
which measures only 
twelve inches in height 
and is the smallest of all 
the ruminants. 
GIRAFFES... 
T HE giraffes are the tallest mammals on earth and are found in Eastern and Central 
Africa from the Sudan to the Zambesi river. Fine bulls reach twenty feet in height 
and cows a few feet less, and there are several races in which the markings vary consider¬ 
ably. Giraffes live well in zoological gardens, and often breed, four having been born at 
Belle Vue to date. 
Giraffes are capable of galloping at an estimated speed of 45 miles per hour, and when 
on the run the hind legs are brought forward simultaneously on the outside of the forelegs 
so that the animal progresses with a rather peculiar rocking motion. Although the giraffe 
possesses a very long neck, it is not long enough to allow the animal to drink or pick up 
food from the ground without first straddling the front legs. These animals are popularly 
considered to be mute, but the writer has heard both young and adult giraffes make 
grunting noises, a fact which has also been noted by other observers. 
Three giraffes are exhibited of which the oldest, “ Doreen,” was born in the Gardens 
on 8th April, 1939. This day happened to be Easter Saturday with the opening per¬ 
formance of the firework display and battle spectacle but as with most of the wild 
animals in the Zoo neither the mother giraffe or her calf appeared to notice the “ noises 
off.” The other two giraffes were imported from Kenya Colony—the female, “ Diana,” 
arriving in September, 1946, and the male, “ Youki,” in April, 1947. Fortunately giraffes 
are sociable animals and it is usually possible to mix them together without too much 
concern over the differences of age and sex. They are, however, very temperamental 
in certain ways and are easily upset. For instance, “ Doreen ” had been accustomed 
to going out into the open-air paddock with her mother almost from the time of her 
birth and yet she flatly refused to go out one day after certain alterations had been made 
to an adjacent building. It took weeks of coaxing to get her to go outdoors and the 
same thing occurred for several years after she had been kept indoors during the cold 
winter months. This nervousness was apparently transmitted to the other two giraffes 
for it took between three and four years to get them accustomed to using the outdoor 
paddock. 
Photo by Sport & General Agency 
BARINGO GIRAFFE 
Seventeen 
