24.04.2026 21:34
The giraffe born at Gaziantep Natural Life Park became the first giraffe born in Turkey. The name of the calf, which appears before visitors, will be determined through a survey.
The male giraffe calf born at Gaziantep Natural Life Park, one of Turkey's largest, Europe's second, and the world's fourth largest natural habitats, has appeared before visitors for the first time.
The male calf of the giraffe couple Şakir and Selvi, who have become the mascots of the zoo and drawn intense interest from the public, is the first giraffe born in Turkey. The calf of Şakir, who passed away during the approximately 15-month pregnancy period, was born in February. Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin stated that an online poll will be conducted to determine the name of the newborn giraffe calf, adding that the most preferred name will be given to the young giraffe.
SELVİ AND ŞAKİR'S OFFSPRING Visiting and feeding the animal, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin said, "During the 15-month pregnancy process, Şakir passed away and could not see his offspring because he lived much longer than the average lifespan of a giraffe. Now, we have Şakir's baby, and we have a baby boy. For the first time in Turkey, a giraffe has been born. In fact, this is the greatest indicator of how nature-friendly and animal-friendly a city we are. We are among the best in the world and Europe. Within 1 million square meters of green space, there is a complete natural life. The most important thing is that our 100 employees work with love, caring for animals and nature. A highly trained team, from veterinarians to technicians, works here. Come to Gaziantep to see the first baby giraffe born in Turkey. We invite you back here to see Selvi and Şakir's giraffe calf. Now they ask me, 'Mayor, why do they give birth so much?' I say, 'Because they are happy.' We take great care of our animals in the gastronomy city. They are happy, we are happy. Our visitors are happy. We invite everyone to come back here to see these babies."