The Milwaukee County Zoo is proud to announce that a Reticulated Giraffe was born on May 15.
The female calf arrived in the early evening to mom Marlee. This marks the second offspring for Marlee and the fourth for Bahatika, the father.
Photo Credit: Milwaukee County Zoo
On May 16, veterinarians completed the calf’s first exam. The baby weighed 174 pounds and stood 6 feet, 1 inch tall. Zookeepers and medical staff have been observing mother and baby closely. Marlee appears very calm and attentive to the calf, who is nursing regularly.
The calf does not have a name yet. Zookeepers who work with the newborn say they want to wait a while and learn more about her personality before choosing a name.
Six-year-old Marlee arrived at the Milwaukee County Zoo in 2013 from Zoo Miami. Bahatika is 12 years old and arrived in 2006 from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
The zoo currently houses six Giraffe: adults Bahatika, Marlee, Ziggy, and Rahna; youngster Kazi; and the newborn.
Reticulated Giraffes are one of nine species and subspecies of Giraffe found in Africa. While widespread geographically, their numbers have decreased dramatically in recent decades, with only about 100,000 individuals remaining in the wild. Habitat loss, fragmentation, illegal hunting, and expanding human settlement contribute to the decline. Giraffes as a species are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with their status uplisted from Least Concern just over a year ago.
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