You Can Feel The Love At Binder Park Zoo

You can get wild with the animals at Binder Park Zoo

I have always wanted to see a giraffe up close but I never dreamed that I would be able to feed and touch them! Binder Park Zoo has an interactive area that you are able to purchase lettuce to feed the giraffes and believe it or not you can pet them. I was able to feed 2 of them, but one store my heart with a kiss! Her name is Makena, and she is so sweet! Here is a little information about this tall drink of water...

Makena was born August 17th, 1999 at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and arrived at Binder Park Zoo in April 2005.  Standing at an impressive eighteen feet, Makena is the tallest giraffe in our herd and is the only one who can reach guests over the railing at our Twiga feeding deck!  She has an amiable personality towards people and her favorite food is fresh sassafras browse in the summertime.  Since arriving at Binder Park Zoo, Makena, whose name means “happy one,” has given birth to four calves: two girls and two boys.  Her two most recent calves, Hulka and Kijana, are part of our giraffe herd and are frequently seen by her side.  Aside from her height, Makena is easily identifiable by a white “M” in the middle of her chest.

Here are a few facts about these majestic animals from Binder Park Zoo...

1. A giraffe’s neck has only 7 vertebrate like most other mammals.
2. The tongue is black and can be up to 18 inches long.
3. Giraffes are poached for meat, skin, and good luck charms.
4.  Each individual giraffe has a unique pattern.
5.  The heart is 2 feet long and weighs 25 pounds.  It beats 170x/minute and has two times the blood pressure of humans.