Posted by: African Savanna zookeepers
Chioke means “gift from above” and our big male giraffe was exactly that. He came to Woodland Park Zoo from Oakland Zoo in the spring of 2007, and right away you could tell he was a special guy. His full name is Chioke Biton Amani McKinley, though he had the nickname Toaster (as in the Brave Little Toaster) because he had health issues to overcome from when he was very young. Sadly, Chioke continued to have intermittent health concerns, and he passed away last month.
It usually takes an animal a while to start to show trust in its keepers, but right from the get go Chioke, and his brother Kipande, showed great interest in what their keepers were up to, and that continued through his last days with us. Chioke’s willingness to interact with both the keepers and the public is what made him a fixture of our giraffe experience every year. Chioke met and connected with literally thousands of people every summer. He always made a connection with the people near him, filling them with awe and amazement. They would often think "how can something this big be so gentle?"
Every time one of his keepers opened the door to the barn, Chioke's ears would spring forward, his Eeyore-esque eyes would pop open, he'd turn his head away from his door (where he kept an eye on Olivia and Tufani, our two female giraffe) and within seconds he'd canter over to see what they were up to. He would usually stretch his head into the office space in hopes for a treat. Even if he had to work a little for it, Chioke was ever hopeful that keepers would have a slice of banana or a little bread to share with him.
Chioke's interest and trust in people and even greater interest in food is part of what made him such a unique animal to work with. Whether it was patiently holding his nose on a target while getting a blood draw, or calmly plucking browse out of the hands of children during summer break, Chioke was always calm and sweet.
Chioke was an amazing animal spirit. He is loved and deeply missed by his keepers, as well as volunteers, staff, and visitors here at Woodland Park Zoo. Keepers are keeping a special eye on Olivia who is assumed to be pregnant with Chioke’s calf. She is due this summer. We all hope this calf has a little of Chioke’s spirit and patience.
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| Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. |
Chioke means “gift from above” and our big male giraffe was exactly that. He came to Woodland Park Zoo from Oakland Zoo in the spring of 2007, and right away you could tell he was a special guy. His full name is Chioke Biton Amani McKinley, though he had the nickname Toaster (as in the Brave Little Toaster) because he had health issues to overcome from when he was very young. Sadly, Chioke continued to have intermittent health concerns, and he passed away last month.
 |
| Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. |
It usually takes an animal a while to start to show trust in its keepers, but right from the get go Chioke, and his brother Kipande, showed great interest in what their keepers were up to, and that continued through his last days with us. Chioke’s willingness to interact with both the keepers and the public is what made him a fixture of our giraffe experience every year. Chioke met and connected with literally thousands of people every summer. He always made a connection with the people near him, filling them with awe and amazement. They would often think "how can something this big be so gentle?"
 |
| Photo by Matt Mills/Woodland Park Zoo. |
Every time one of his keepers opened the door to the barn, Chioke's ears would spring forward, his Eeyore-esque eyes would pop open, he'd turn his head away from his door (where he kept an eye on Olivia and Tufani, our two female giraffe) and within seconds he'd canter over to see what they were up to. He would usually stretch his head into the office space in hopes for a treat. Even if he had to work a little for it, Chioke was ever hopeful that keepers would have a slice of banana or a little bread to share with him.
 |
| Photo by Katie Ahl/Woodland Park Zoo. |
Chioke's interest and trust in people and even greater interest in food is part of what made him such a unique animal to work with. Whether it was patiently holding his nose on a target while getting a blood draw, or calmly plucking browse out of the hands of children during summer break, Chioke was always calm and sweet.
 |
| Photo by Amy Davis/Woodland Park Zoo. |
Chioke was an amazing animal spirit. He is loved and deeply missed by his keepers, as well as volunteers, staff, and visitors here at Woodland Park Zoo. Keepers are keeping a special eye on Olivia who is assumed to be pregnant with Chioke’s calf. She is due this summer. We all hope this calf has a little of Chioke’s spirit and patience.
 |
| Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. |
Comments
J Ahlgren
Seattle, WA
Kwaheri, Twiga Chioke.
Alexandra
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