On April 1, 2025, a young male reticulated giraffe was transported from Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center (FMASSC) in New Orleans to his new home at Chattanooga Zoo.
The new giraffe, who is just over one year old, is the fourth member of the Zoo’s giraffe herd and is named Kuzco after the character from “The Emperor’s New Groove.”
“We first brought giraffes to Chattanooga in 2020 with the addition of George, Porter and Hardee Star to our Zoo family,” said Darde Long, president and CEO of Chattanooga Zoo. “It’s heartwarming and satisfying to expand our herd for the first time and bring long-term plans to fruition by further utilizing our new giraffe yard.”
Chattanooga Zoo completed construction on the Cape of Africa, the biggest expansion in the Zoo’s history, in August of 2024. The new section features a 20,000-square-foot giraffe yard, providing the necessary space to house more than the Zoo’s three original giraffes.
Kuzco is roughly 12 feet tall, but he will grow to be 16 feet like the other members of the herd. He was named Kuzco at FMASSC (which, like Audubon Zoo, is a facility of Audubon Nature Institute and focuses on increasing populations of threatened and endangered species), but he may receive a new name at his new home. Two of Chattanooga Zoo’s other giraffes, Porter and Hardee Star, were also born at FMASSC. George was born at San Francisco Zoo before moving to FMASSC and then to Chattanooga.
“Kuzco was one of two youngsters born at the Audubon Species Survival Center in 2024,” said Michelle Hatwood, general curator at FMASSC. “Kuzco is now over a year old and has reached the point that he needs to separate from his mom and find his own herd, and we are happy to send him to Chattanooga Zoo to do that. All the male giraffes at Chattanooga Zoo were sent from our herd to theirs, so Kuzco will be able to join his extended family in what we call a ‘bachelor herd.’ He will be greatly missed by his keepers in New Orleans and by his brother, Poe, but separating from the herd to become a mature adult is a natural part of growing up in any giraffe family. While we will miss his antics of chasing his younger brother around, we know he’ll be in excellent care under the supervision of the Chattanooga Zoo animal care team.“
Chattanooga Zoo worked with Hemker Park and Zoo, a facility that also provides animal transportation services, to bring the giraffe to his new home. Kuzco was moved in a large, completely enclosed trailer to maintain his safety and comfort. The giraffe stood for the entire trip — an entirely natural posture as giraffes spend most of their lives standing up and even sleep in that position. As the trailer was over 12 feet tall, the transporter mapped out a special route to avoid any bridges or overpasses that could impede the trip.
The trailer was equipped with stall mats and shavings on the floor to prevent him from slipping, and he had plenty of alfalfa to eat during the trip. The driver also used a camera to continuously monitor Kuzco’s condition.
Chattanooga Zoo’s newest giraffe can be viewed with the rest of the herd in the Cape of Africa section and in their indoor space, Makazi Ya Twiga.
“George, Porter and Hardee Star are all fully grown, making them significantly bigger and taller than our newcomer,” said Lacey Hickle, general curator at Chattanooga Zoo. “It has already been so much fun watching the excitement and fascination that guests experience when they see such a young giraffe.”
To learn more about Chattanooga Zoo, including information about Zoo animals, giraffe feeding experiences, annual memberships and more, visit chattzoo.org.
