VIDEO: Zuri the giraffe stretches legs after long drive

Author: Georgia Nelson,
Publish Date: Tue, 31 May 2016, 9:56AM

UPDATED: 7.26pm Zuri the giraffe is continuing to delight - she literally leapt from her cage into her new home this morning.

The playful one-year-old is now officially ensconced in a new enclosure at Wellington Zoo.

A video shows the 1-year-old Auckland Zoo born calf Zuri jump out of the custom made box in which she was transported by road to Wellington on yesterday, and do a small skid, before coming to a halt at her new home.

Animal Science Manager Simon Eyre said her mammoth move from Auckland has been very smooth.

He said she has a very calm nature and took the journey in her stride.

"All the photos I saw of her journey she was just looking out and having fun, and then through the Zoo she was also just nosing around, eating a few leaves as she passed trees."

"Ever since she she ran out to have a look and see what was going on she calmed down and has been walking around quite happily."

She has settled in nicely, with Wellington Zoo’s mother-daughter duo Tisa and Zahara very intrigued to see her.

According to Wellington Zoo, the introductions between the three girls will be taken slowly over the next few days as Zuri settles in to her new environment.

And as this photo shows, she’s a lot smaller than her new friends:

Zuri's a mini-giraffe compared to @WellingtonZoo 's giraffe Tisa. pic.twitter.com/EaWx28I6Wj
— Auckland Zoo (@aucklandzoo) May 31, 2016

Yesterday, she was driven to Wellington on the back of a truck, with some zoo staff following with a car full of green treats for hourly snack breaks.

The journey had to take a few detours to avoid low bridges, and there were plenty of Kiwis out on the streets to watch the young Giraffe pass through towns and cities on the way south - including Hamilton, Taupo, Tokoroa, Waiouru and Levin.