Henry Doorly Zoo- Giraffe Complex

The Giraffe complex at Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha Nebraska.
OPENED: 1981
Designed to resemble an African hut, the Giraffe Complex is made of fluted block construction with a shake shingle roof. Built in 1981, the $1.1 million building has 15,000 square feet of floor space. Along with giraffes, some small animals and various birds are also on display inside the Giraffe Complex.

The Building

Inside the Giraffe Complex, unique, long-range infrared heating warms the building. Mercury vapor lamps provide supplementary light, while windows and skylights provide natural lighting. The main viewing windows measure 17 ft. x 11 ft. each and weigh approximately one ton each. The 32 ft. high ceiling is lined with cedar. Grooved concrete flooring has silicon carbide added for traction and to help keep the giraffes feet trimmed. Its slight slope speeds daily cleaning and drainage.

Other safety features include squeeze gates to restrain the giraffes for routine medical treatments and a crane for lifting a fallen animal. Food baskets, at a height of nine feet, can be filled from an elevated keeper walkway. Two doors, 5 ft. x 16 ft. provide access to the corral and veldt areas. A second holding area is not on public display. A fence with a gate divides the viewing area to separate giraffes. Nine indoor pens encircle the giraffe enclosure, three of which are open to public view. These are used for winter holding of smaller hoof stock and birds. Doors to these pens are the same width as the hallways. When opened they block the hallways, facilitating movement of animals between the pens. Floors slope toward the hallway drains.

Animal Exhibits

An indoor aviary measuring 20 ft. x 40 ft., with a 20 ft. ceiling at its highest point is featured within the Giraffe Complex. It is enclosed by piano wire, spaced 1/2 in. apart. Individually strung, tension may be adjusted separately on each wire. A stream, flowing from a waterfall to a small pond, is re-circulated. The large tree was taken from the Zoo grounds, halved and hollowed out, and bolted together around a support beam. It provides nesting and roosting sites. There are a few other small animal displays which exhibit animals such as ratel honey badgers, Abyssian Ground Hornbill and West African Crowned Crane.

African Veldt

An outdoor moat measuring 25 ft. x 120 ft. contains a small island and links the building to the African Veldt, an outdoor pasture designed to simulate the African environment for a variety of African animals. The moat holds 75,000 gallons of water and is 6 ft. at its deepest. Two large filters and sub-surface circulators reduce maintenance and aid in keeping water clear. Black-footed penguins are on display in the moat, and it is frequently used as a water hole by ostriches, crown cranes, secretary birds, giraffes, hornbills and hoofstock from the veldt.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• giraffe
• henry
• doorly
• zoo
• omaha
• nebraska