A Special Tribute to Daisy and Samburu. . . .

I want one of my first posts of 2010 on Growing Up Ina to be a
tribute to two of my long time friends and animal co-workers at
the Phoenix Zoo.

I love the time I spend educating the public about the animals on
the African Savanna. It is my favorite place at the zoo. It is
wonderful to be able to observe so many different species of
animals living together in perfect harmony, each faithfully doing
their part to preserve and enrich this beautiful habitat. So, it is
with great sadness that I said goodbye to two of the savanna's
long time residents.

Daisy, the Eland, affectionately known as Daisy-Do by her keepers
and the rest of us who worked alongside of her, passed away on
Halloween. Daisy was dearly loved by all of us at the zoo who
interacted with her in our various capacities of caring for, playing
with, and talking about; the vets, vet techs, keepers, managers,
experience staff, rangers, and volunteers.

Daisy had a sweet personality. She followed her keepers around
like a puppy. She was very inquisitive and always wanted to
know what was going on. Her personal keeper referred to this
inquisitive nature as bordering on being downright nosey. Her
favorite thing to do was to smash the pumpkins that are trad-
itionally put out on the savanna each Halloween to introduce
Boo At The Zoo. She would run as fast as she could from one
pumpkin to the next smashing them with her head. She had it
down pat and seemed to be saying, "Ha, I am going to smash
all of them before the rest of you have a chance."

The curtain for the show rose a little late this year. The pumpkins
were out for the opening number with the giraffe stomping, herd
chomping, and elands smashing their pumpkins in joyful abandon
while the hoof stock trail was saying goodbye to Daisy for the
last time.

The hoof stock keepers said, "Daisy has left us to smash pumpkins
on the great savanna in the sky. We honor her and those who
came before by continuing on with the show. They say, "The show
must go on and Daisy-Do would have enjoyed the show!"

The zoo's male reticulated giraffe, Samburu, better known as Sam
to fit his "good ole boy" image, was found dead in his stall in the
early morning of January 4th. It was said that it looked as if he
went peacefully to join Daisy on that great savanna in the sky.

Sam was 19. He was just a calf when I began volunteering and
was always one of my very favorite animal co-workers. He and I
watched together as the Phoenix Zoo grew into the world class
zoo it is today. I watched him mature into the magnificent bull
giraffe that he became. I remember how joyful and proud he
seemed when the savanna was enlarged and became the focal
point of the Africa Trail.

Sam had a great personality. He was very mischievous and
curious following his keepers around while pressing his nose
into their backs or bending his long neck down to rest his head
on their shoulder, adding a playful nip now and again. He
loved to eat. He was so interested in the new feeders when
they were put on the savanna. He would stand quietly and
watch them being lowered and raised. He didn't like to bend his
neck to eat but waited until the feeder was at it's highest so he
could stretch to his full 16+ feet to eat. He loved the new Giraffe
Encounter. He was always there even before the volunteers
rang the bell to let him and the four females giraffe know that
their adoring fans were waiting. With his 18" prehensile tongue,
velvet muzzle, and twitching ears, he always made sure that
they got the most from their $3.00. He was a true ham and
seemed to enjoy every bit of the adoration given him by those
who gave him treats. At the end of the hour, he was always
the last to leave.

Sam had been having some health issues for a few months but
seemed happy and didn't let it diminish his joy and love of life.
At age 19, he outlived most bull giraffe in captivity by a couple
of years. He sired eight calves. One of his daughters is a part
of the herd on the savanna. Others live in zoos throughout the
United States and as far away as Russia.

The hoof stock keepers said of him, "We will miss Sam, but we
honor him by ensuring that his spirit and genes will live on to
inspire and educate guests around the world.

Today, I pay my personal tribute to Sam and Daisy-Do and
thank them for letting me share in their remarkable lives.

Goodbye, old friends, I will miss you!