The Birmingham Zoo has a new giraffe on exhibit, and he's the first male to join the herd since the facility lost its longtime breeding giraffe earlier this year. Onduli, a one-year-old giraffe born at the Dallas Zoo, has settled into the Trails of Africa habitat alongside three resident females.
Onduli was born on September 24, 2025, at the Dallas Zoo to parents Katie and Tebogo, and later arrived at the Birmingham Zoo, according to Bham Now. His name means giraffe in Oshiwambo, an indigenous language spoken in parts of northern Namibia and Angola, a choice the outlet notes honors wildlife conservation groups working to protect wild giraffe habitats in southern Africa. As WBMA reported, the young giraffe has now officially joined the Birmingham herd.
Onduli is currently the only male among the zoo's four giraffes, joining resident females Zuri, 16, Ruby, 7, and Mopane, 2, inside the Trails of Africa habitat. His relocation was coordinated through the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Species Survival Plan, which coordinates animal populations among accredited zoos, with the Birmingham Zoo serving as Alabama's only AZA-accredited facility, per the same Bham Now report.
Filling a Void Left by a Longtime Herd Leader
The herd had gone without a male since this past May, when Jalil, the zoo's longtime breeding giraffe, was humanely euthanized at age 20 after suffering age-related mobility challenges. Jalil lived at the Birmingham Zoo for 19 years and fathered two calves during his life, according to WBRC/Gray News. WBRC/Gray News reported that the median life expectancy for male giraffes in human care is just over 15 years, per the AZA Species Survival Plan, and that Jalil received specialized treatments including custom footwear and stem cell therapy.
One of Jalil's offspring is already part of the current herd. Mopane, born at the Birmingham Zoo on April 17, 2024, to mother Ruby and father Jalil, marked the zoo's first giraffe birth since 2014, according to Village Living. Her name was chosen through a public vote that drew more than 8,200 responses, the outlet reported at the time.
A Herd That Has Seen Loss Before
The zoo also said goodbye to another longtime herd member in December 2024, when Willow, a 16-year-old reticulated giraffe born at the facility in 2008, died following an unexplained decline in appetite and health. Willow had spent her entire life in the care of Birmingham Zoo staff, Bham Now reported at the time.
Wild giraffe populations are declining.
Visiting Onduli at Trails of Africa
Visitors can now see Onduli on exhibit. The zoo's giraffe news arrives just a day after Hoodline covered the robotic dinosaurs roaring back at the same facility, giving Birmingham families two fresh reasons to visit this fall.
