Animal News

Dallas Zoo relocates 3-year-old giraffe to Milwaukee zoo for breeding

Kendi the giraffe at his former home at the Dallas Zoo.

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A young male giraffe formerly at the Dallas Zoo has been relocated to the Milwaukee County Zoo, so that he can be used for breeding.

Kendi, a 3-1/2-year-old giraffe born in May 2020, was shipped to Milwaukee in late October. After a 30-day quarantine period that new animals are subjected to when they're moved from zoo to zoo, Kendi is now being trotted out for display.

Giraffes thrive in the heat. Their native land is the African savanna, where temperatures range from 70 degrees to the mid-80s. The current temperature in Milwaukee is 44 degrees.

Kendi joins a herd of giraffes with three females: Ziggy, 12 years old, Marlee, 11 years old, and Marlee's offspring Maya, 5 years old.

There is also Asante, an 8-month-old male whose birth was filmed by the zoo with spectators horrifically cat-calling like it was a sporting event; sadly, Asante will be transferred to another zoo in 2024, so he can be used to breed elsewhere.

In the wild, giraffes live in herds of mothers and their daughters, while bachelors live in separate herds. They stay as small family groups that remain stable for many years.

A study published in 2021 found an even more complex level in giraffe societies than had been previously realized. Relocating animals shatters the web of social relationships.

But zoos' entire business model is to move animals around for breeding, under a program they call their Species Survival Plan. They need baby animals because baby animals are what drive people to buy tickets.

In the wild, male giraffes can become sexually mature at 4 to 5 years, but don't start mating until they're 7. But in captivity, they start breeding them earlier, and the Milwaukee zoo is immediately trying to position Kendi as some sort of hormone-driven horndog:

"He’s already very alert and watchful with the female giraffes in the herd," they say. "He’s showing healthy male giraffe behaviors, like monitoring the females who are in estrus (the period when most female mammals are capable of conceiving), following them closely, and guarding them from the others."

How utterly creepy.

If it seems sad that Kendi is being moved around, the Dallas Zoo has also not been a safe space for giraffes in recent years, with three giraffe deaths in a row in 2021.

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RIP Pete

Dallas businessman and former Schepps Dairy owner Pete Schenkel dies

Courtesy photo

Pete Schenkel

Dallas businessman Pete Schenkel, a philanthropist and former owner of Dallas-based Schepps Dairy, passed away at his Highland Park home on November 27 while in hospice care.

Born and raised in South Dallas where he worked on his father's dairy farm, Schenkel worked his way up from a Schepps Dairy deliverer to become an owner of the company in 1987. He went on to serve as President and owner of Southern Foods, which later sold to Suiza Foods and became Dean Foods, for which he also served as president and board member.

A statement from the city of Dallas says that Schenkel "leaves a legacy where he will be remembered for sharing his success with others and for his steadfast commitment to serve with pride and humility. Pete was unwavering in his dedication to making Dallas one of the safest large cities in the United States and was instrumental in promoting our economic growth and social vibrancy. We will strive to carry on his legacy by continuing to make Dallas a better place for all."

Founded by Harmon "Hymie" Schepps in 1942, Schepps Dairy traded hands and emerged from a bankruptcy under the primary ownership of Schenkel, who was Schepps' business partner. In 2000, the company was acquired by Suiza Foods Co., which then merged with Dallas-based Dean Foods the following year.

Schenkel was also involved in Dallas politics from the '80s to the '00s, both with sought-after endorsements as well as working on campaigns for mayoral candidates such as Jack Evans and Ron Natinsky.

In 2017, he was honored with an award from the NFF Gridiron Club for his role in helping bring football back to the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day. He fought to keep the annual Texas-Oklahoma rivalry game at Cotton Bowl Stadium and has been the key negotiator in keeping the game there ever since.

Schenkel served on many influential boards that helped shape Dallas and North Texas, including chairing the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Board of Directors and the Methodist Health Care Foundation. After retiringm he remained active in nonprofit circles, helping direct a charitable fund with his wife, the Pat and Pete Schenkel Charitable Trust. He also served on the board of the Dallas Blue Foundation, which provides financial assistance to families of Dallas police officers killed or wounded in action.

His multiple awards and commendations including receiving the 82nd annual Linz Award for civic service in Dallas in 2011, as well as a Russell H. Perry Award from Dallas Baptist University, which lauded Schenkel for adhering to the highest ethical standards and being loyal to and respectful of friends and customers, as well as his modesty, shying away from the spotlight and shining it on others instead.

He's survived by his wife Pat, three children and seven grandchildren.

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