A female Reticulated Giraffe born at the Buffalo Zoo has been named Zuri, which means “lovely” or “beautiful” in Swahili.

Photo Credit:  Buffalo Zoo

Zuri was born on February 21 to 20-year-old Agnes and 3-year-old Moke.  Giraffe mothers deliver their babies standing up, and the babies typically stand on their own within an hour of birth.

Giraffes are pregnant for around 15 months, and calves usually stay with their mothers for nearly two years. 

On Africa’s plains and grasslands, Giraffe populations have fallen by nearly half since 1999 to about 80,000 animals today. (This figure includes all nine subspecies of Giraffes.)  However, as a species, Giraffes are not listed as Endangered – rather, they are classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.  Reticulated Giraffes, native to Kenya, number less than 5,000.   The world’s tallest animals face threats from disease, human encroachment, and illegal hunting.  

See more photos of Zuri below.