Two of the animal ambassadors at a South Coast zoo will be moved this week to other zoos, as part of breeding programs to expand their species. A female Masai giraffe named Amirah will be transferred from the Santa Barbara Zoo to the Sacramento Zoo.
Amirah was born in Santa Barbara in March of 2018. She is too young to breed now, but is being moved to make room for more giraffe calves. Two of the zoo’s giraffes are currently pregnant. And, the zoo is also going to say goodbye to one of its Amur leopards.
Efforts to breed the zoo’s male leopard with the zoo’s female leopard were unsuccessful. Wyatt will be moved to the Fort Wayne Zoo. Another male leopard will then be transferred to the Santa Barbara Zoo.
The moves are part of ongoing efforts by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to conduct breeding to help save some of the world’s most endangered species.