Two new hosts at the Chattanooga Zoo happen to be celebrating Father’s Day.
George, a five-year-old male reticulated giraffe, is the father of 17-month-old Hardee Star, according to a Facebook post from the Chattanooga Zoo.
George and Hardee Star lived with two-year-old Porter as a herd at the Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center in New Orleans before being relocated to Chattanooga.
The giraffes arrived in Chattanooga earlier this year as part of the Chattanooga Zoo’s African Expansion exhibit. The $2.5 million capital campaign to acquire the giraffes, dubbed “Reaching Great Heights,” was financed through city, state and community funding, according to CEO and president Dardenelle Long.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a grand-opening event to celebrate the giraffes’ arrival will be scheduled later in the year.