Meet Raymie, The Newborn ZooBorn Giraffe!
January 21, 2022
At 1:55 AM on Wednesday, January 19, Adia the Santa Barbara Zoo's Masai giraffe gave birth to a male calf, who was named Raymie by his Premier Foster Feeder sponsors, the McGraw Family. Raymie is 157.6 pounds and approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall.
The calf’s legs were first observed around 11 PM Tuesday night, and Adia was in active labor for about three hours. The calf was standing 45 minutes after it was born, is nursing, and appears strong and healthy. This is Adia’s second calf and according to Dr. Julie Barnes, the Zoo’s VP of Animal Care & Health, she is "once again showing excellent maternal behavior." Adia's first calf, Twiga, is still part of the Zoo’s herd, but he will be starting his own herd at another zoo later this year.
For now, Adia and Raymie will remain behind the scenes to get to know each other and bond. In the meantime, enjoy this video of Raymie taking some wobbly steps and getting kissed by his mom!
Thanks to Santa Barbara Zoo Members and Foster Feeders, we are able to contribute to saving species like the Masai and provide excellent animal care to the animals at the Zoo.