Just in time for the ‘longest’ day of the year, Blank Park Zoo officials announced today that a new ‘tall’ animal is available for visits at Blank Park Zoo. Poppy is a one-year-old female giraffe that recently arrived at the Blumenthal Giraffe Pavilion at Blank Park Zoo.

Poppy was born on May 27, 2022 at the Milwaukee County Zoo, is 10 feet tall, and weighs approximately 800 pounds. Poppy’s sister, Zola, also lives at Blank Park Zoo. Poppy’s age and height made her an ideal candidate to move to Blank Park Zoo – old enough to leave the care of her mother and short enough to not have to worry about the height of bridges.

“Poppy is very inquisitive and curious and we are excited to have her join our herd,” said Kayla Freeman, supervisor of large mammals. “She will be a great ambassador to teach our guests about giraffes.”

Blank Park Zoo will be celebrating World Giraffe Day on Wednesday, June 21 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Guests will learn about the giraffes that live at Blank Park Zoo and how you can help support efforts to save giraffes that live in natural habitats from extinction.

Poppy joins giraffes Jakobi, Zola, and Skye in addition to Bakari, the giraffe calf born on September 7, 2022.

This week, two new species of birds have been added to the Discovery Center including a green honeycreeper and a silver-beaked tanager. Blank Park Zoo has also recently added three black and white ruffed lemurs, a herd of alpacas, and a pair of cotton-top tamarins.