ZooBorns

The Emerald Isle's Newest Baby Is A Tall One!

Dublin Zoo is proud to announce the birth of a Rothschild Giraffe calf. The confident female giraffe was born June 27 and joined the herd on exhibit just 3 days later.

Helen Clarke-Bennet, team leader of the African Plains said, “She is a beautiful, strong and healthy calf.  She is very confident for her age as most calves would not join the herd until a week after they are born, however she has integrated very well.  We are delighted with our new addition.”

Photo credits: ©Patrick Bolger Photography

The Rothschild Giraffe is one of the most threatened of the nine Giraffe sub-species.  Rothschild male Giraffes grow to six metres in height and can weigh over 2000kg, fewer than 700 now live in the wild.  Their coat is a distinct mix of dark patches that are broken up by bright cream channels.  

See more photos and learn more below the fold...

It's a Baby Boy Giraffe, the Fourth for Binder Park Zoo

A new arrival at Michigan's Binder Park Zoo is making his debut -- a baby Reticulated Giraffe named Mosi (meaning first-born) can now be seen in their Wild Africa habitat. The 113 pound, 5 foot tall calf came into the world on May 17 and is the fourth Giraffe born at Binder Park Zoo. The first three, also boys, were born in 2009. He brings the Zoo’s herd up to 10, 5 females and 5 males, which continues to be one of the nation’s largest herds of Giraffe. 

Mom Kay arrived at Binder Park Zoo in 2011 from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas. Within a few months, zookeepers began to notice changes in her and suspected that she was pregnant. An ultrasound confirmed it and several weeks later Mosi was born. He was very small at birth, but Kay has been an excellent mother and he is doing very well.   

“After working with Giraffe for over 17 years, it is still amazing to get up close with these beautiful yet strange animals,” said Jenny Barnett, Binder Park Zoo Director of Wildlife Management, Conservation and Education. “They have an incredible grace about them from the moment they are born.”

Photo Credit: John Grap/Battle Creek Enquirer

Read more about Binder Park Giraffes after the jump:

Nashville's Masai Giraffe Delivers Her Second Baby

Nashville Zoo is now home to a brand new baby Masai Giraffe. Born on Sunday, June 10, the calf is mother Margarita's second baby.

“We’ve been watching Margarita very closely in anticipation of this event,” said Mammal Curator Connie Philipp. “This is her second calf, and she is showing us some great maternal skills. We look forward to showing the new calf to our guests soon.”

Photo credits: Amiee Stubbs / Taken at Nashville Zoo 

 

Masai Giraffe are native to the savannas of Kenya and Tanzania in Africa and are known for their oak-leaf shaped spot pattern.

Giraffe Lovers Look No Further... Two Calves Born At Prague Zoo!

It was a very busy weekend at Prague Zoo. Two Giraffes were born within 12 hours of each other! Three-time mother Diana delivered her 4th calf on Friday evening and nine-time mother Kleopatra gave birth to her 10th. Kleopatra is the oldest female Giraffe at Prague Zoo. These two babies are the 73rd and 74th Rothschild Giraffes ever  born at Prague Zoo. They are 3rd and 4th born this year. Rothschild Giraffes are an endangered subspecies of Giraffe, particularly at risk of hybridization with other subspecies. While difficult to "spot", one feature that distinguishes this subspecies from other giraffe subspecies is a 5th horn that sticks up out of the center of its forehead.

Photo credit: Tomáš Adamec, Zoo Praha

Jump below the fold to see all the pictures!

New Pictures, New Video! Bronx Zoo Giraffe Calf Update

The Giraffe calf born in March at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo has made her debut on the African Plains, and she's one busy girl. See her nuzzle with mom, romp around her exhibit, and interact with a surprise visitor—an interloping butterfly. You can see earlier pictures of this tall baby from our ZooBorns article on March 23.

The calf has not yet been named. The Bronx Zoo names all of its giraffes in memory of Mr. and Mrs. James Carter, benefactors for the Carter Giraffe Building.

Photo credits: Julie Larsen Maher © WCS

She's All Legs! Fresno Chaffee Zoo's New Baby Giraffe

A female Reticulated Giraffe calf was born on April 5 at California's Fresno Chaffee Zoo. She came into the world at approximately 10 a.m. to Baba, her 18 year old mother, and Angalia (or “Gali” as he’s called), her father. She started life at 5 1/5 ft tall and 125 pounds (57 kmgs).

She is in the process of being named by a FB contest on the Fresno Chaffee Zoo's wall if you would like to weigh in and vote.

Photo Credit: Fresno Chaffe Zoo

Zoo Miami Welcomes 45th Zoo-Born Giraffe!

Last month, Zoo Miami welcomed it's 45th giraffe birth! Born March 12th to mother Mia, the calf underwent neonatal tests in order to determine whether it's a girl or a boy, receive vaccinations, and generally assure that its health is good. The calf passed with flying colors and was given a clean bill of health. At 6 feet tall and nearly 150 pounds, this "little" girl is 5-year-old mom Mia's second offspring.

 Photo credits: Ron Magill / Miami Zoo

Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo Just Got Six Feet Taller!

A female Baringo Giraffe calf was born this month at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo. The calf was approximately 6 feet tall and over 100 pounds at birth. As an adult, she could eventually grow to 16 feet and weigh 2,600 pounds.

Giraffes are native to grasslands, savannas, and open woodlands in central, east, and southern Africa. The Baringo, or Rothschild’s, Giraffe is found in western Kenya and eastern Uganda. While Giraffe populations are robust in many places, overall the population is decreasing. The Wildlife Conservation Society works across the globe and within the giraffe’s African range to save wildlife and wild places. WCS is working to protect giraffes in key African landscapes like Zakouma, Chad, Murchison Falls, Uganda, and in the Sahel of South Sudan.

Photo credits: Julie Larsen Maher © WCS

The calf has not been named as of now. The Bronx Zoo names all of its giraffes in memory of Mr. and Mrs. James Carter, benefactors for the Carter Giraffe Building.

Double Delight: Two Rothschild Giraffe Babies for Prague Zoo

There are two reasons to celebrate this month at Prague Zoo. After 14 months of gestation, two Rothschild Giraffe calves were born within days of each other. The first arrived on February 9, born to mom Nora, one of the best known animals at the Zoo. Nora is 13 years old and a very experienced mother -- this is her fifth baby and she successfully raised all but the first on her own. The father of the newborn is the twelve-year-old Johan. Their calf is a female and has been named Apolena.

Just two days later, on February 11, another female in the herd named Eliška began to go into labor. She had not eaten anything since the morning and was nervously pacing up and down the dormitory. As if to lend support, Nora paid close attention to Eliška's process from the neighboring dorm. Eliška successfully gave birth to a little male, cleaning him thoroughly. He stood and suckled soon after. His name will be chosen out of three options by public vote.

Photo Credit: Photos 1-4, Tomas Adamec/Prague Zoo, Photo 5: Martin Smrček/Zoo Praha

Valentine Baby - Giraffe Born at Paignton Zoo

This baby Rothschild's Giraffe was born at the UK's Paignton Zoo on Valentine’s Day. The new arrival was came into the world in the wee hours on February 14 to mom Janica and dad Yoda. The as yet unnamed male calf stands at nearly six feet tall.

Senior Head Mammal Keeper Matt Webb said: “He did not suckle on Tuesday. We hoped mother and calf would settle down and he would be able to feed, but keepers and the Zoo’s in-house vet team had to step in and feed him by hand."

While the baby bonded with it's mother, she didn't quite bond with him. Keepers were surprised, as she had previously reared this baby's little brother Tonda, who was born in February 2010, just fine. So he will be bottle fed by hand. It will take up to three gallons of hand-fed full-fat milk a day to help this little boy grow.

The baby, mother and father, along with the herd's other adult female are all Rothschild's (Baringo) giraffes. Rothschild's giraffes are classified as Endangered and there is a European Endangered species Program for the species.

Photo Credit: Paignton Zoo