Keeper shares his passion for conservation
SAXONWOLD – Keeper of the hoofed animals Philemon Magoba discusses the joys of his work.
Keeper of the hoofed animals at the Johannesburg Zoo, Philemon Magoba is passionate about conserving the giraffe population which is vulnerable following habitat destruction in Africa.
Magoba explained that the giraffe population has dropped by 40 per cent since 2016, sparking the Joburg Zoo’s excitement when a new calf was born on 21 January to mom Lady and dad Madolo.
“Though giraffes have a gestation period of 460 to 466 days, we only noticed that Lady was pregnant in September last year. We noticed her big tummy and the fact that she was eating less,” he said.
Magoba said that Lady gave birth to the calf, now named Sabawu, during the night and he saw the calf walking for the first time the next morning.
“Things have changed a lot since the birth of the calf. The mom is all of a sudden very protective over the baby and no one can even touch her, so we keep our distance.”
Magoba began working at the Joburg Zoo 12 years ago after studying a diploma in nature conservation.
“I grew up in a rural area in Limpopo where animals were very much part of my life. People didn’t understand conservation and used to kill kudus as a source of food.”
Now Magoba is passionate about the conservation of hoofed animals including gemsbok, kudu, inyala, eland, impala, zebra and springbok to name a few.
His work involves supervising staff who feed animals and clean their enclosures, ensuring animals are in a healthy condition and maintaining enclosures.
When asked which animal is his favourite, he said, “I don’t want to choose because they are all like my kids, but the birth of the giraffe brought great excitement for me.
“If I see an animal that is sick, it affects me emotionally. It is the same pain I feel for my kids when they are sick.
“To come here and see all the animals moving and eating without problems gives me all the joy in the world.”
Magoba encourages community members to visit the zoo to see the new giraffe calf as the Johannesburg Zoo works to maintain this vulnerable population.
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