Saturday, November 24, 2012

The long fellow has a tall lady friend. After two years of saving for a mate for Gabriel the giraffe, the Zoo of Acadiana in Broussard, La., has brought him Evangeline.

They're named for the couple separated by the Acadian expulsion in the epic poem, Evangeline, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. But zoo officials foresee a happy ending to this story.

Zoo spokeswoman Lea Loftin tells The Daily Iberian that the zoo bought 9-year-old Evangeline from the Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Wichita, Kan. for nearly $70,000.

Loftin says the zoo plans an "engagement party" in the spring, and a later wedding in their enclosure behind the concession stand.

Loftin says Evangeline has had three babies, and officials hope she and 8-year-old Gabriel will add to the number.