The Newest, Cutest Baby Animals from the World's Zoos & Aquariums

Category: Giraffe

  • Care Team Supports First Time Giraffe Mom

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    A female giraffe calf was born in Schönbrunn Zoo on Sunday afternoon. Great concern quickly mixed with the joy: the first-time mother Fleur has been reluctant to let her offspring drink. “The birth went quickly and without complications, which is anything but a matter of course. Unfortunately, Fleur still keeps her young animal at a distance and only nurses it very irregularly," explains Eveline Dungl, the responsible zoological department head. “For Fleur it is the first offspring. Unfortunately, inexperienced mothers often find themselves overwhelmed with rearing in the wild. Unfortunately, especially with first-time mothers, there is never a guarantee that everything will go well from the start.”

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  • Meet Raymie, The Newborn ZooBorn Giraffe!

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    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.

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  • Nubian Giraffe Born in Safaripark Beekse Bergen

    Hilvarenbeek, 7 December 2021 – A giraffe was born on the savannahs of Safaripark Beekse Bergen. It is a Nubian giraffe, one of the most endangered subspecies of giraffe.

    The calf, which has been given the name Shanna, is doing well. "Mother Thejuli is experienced and does a great job with Shanna. We have already seen her drink well," says head animal caretaker Rolf Veenhuizen.

    Giraffe Shanna met moeder Thejuli 1

    For the time being, Theluji and Shanna are staying in the indoor residence due to the weather conditions. "The visitor area of this residence opens for an hour every day, so that visitors can see our newest addition," says Veenhuizen.

    Deforestation

    The Nubian giraffe is found on savannas in Africa. This species is threatened because their habitat is getting smaller and smaller. This is partly due to deforestation. In addition, the Nubian giraffe is hunted.

  • Say Hello to Mawe: A 3-week-old Giraffe Calf Gets a Name at the San Diego Zoo

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    Just in time for the holidays, a newborn giraffe calf at the San Diego Zoo has received the perfect gift—a name. The 3-week-old female calf will be called Mawe (pronounced “maw way”), meaning stone in Swahili. She was born to first-time mom Saba; and at birth, she weighed a little under 150 pounds and stood approximately 5 feet, 10 inches tall. Mawe has been introduced to the other members of the herd, and both mom and baby are doing well.

    Science teams have estimated that fewer than 100,000 giraffes are left in their native habitats—a decrease of more than 40 percent over the last 20 years. It is believed that the downward trend is due to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and poaching in certain regions. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has partnered with numerous conservation organizations on large-scale conservation projects, in an effort to slow and eventually stop the continued decline of giraffe populations.

  • Perth Zoo’s Two Giraffe Calves Step Out

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    Perth Zoo’s two giraffe calves are now out and about together, much to the delight of Zoo guests.

    This is the first time Perth Zoo has had two giraffe calves at the same time born as part of a regional zoo breeding program which aims to advocate and educate about declining wild giraffe populations.

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    A young female, Zahara, was born in September 2021, followed by half-brother, Akiki, in October.

    Born to first-time Mum, Akiki has been cared for behind the scenes by zoologists after he experienced nursing difficulties and was not receiving enough nutrients needed to thrive.

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  • It’s A Girl! Franklin Park Zoo Welcomes Female Giraffe Calf

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    The staff at Franklin Park Zoo is pleased to announce the birth of a female Masai giraffe calf on Wednesday, September 22 at 2:52 p.m. Her mother, Amari, is a 5-year-old giraffe who was born at the Franklin Park Zoo herself. More: https://www.zoonewengland.org/franklin-park-zoo/our-animals/mammals/hoofed/masai-giraffe/

  • Giraffe Gives Birth On Camera at Texas’s Fossil Rim Wildlife Center

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    On Aug 30, 2021 “Nettie” the giraffe gave birth to a little girl at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, TX, and volunteers got the opportunity to submit names for her. The committee has officially chosen the name “Nessa”!

     

  • Double the Cuteness with 2 Baby Giraffes at Perth Zoo

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    At 3:30am Saturday 2 October, ‘Ellie’ gave birth to a male giraffe calf at Australia’s Perth Zoo.

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    As a first time mum, Ellie needs time and space to adjust to motherhood. She is naturally a nervous giraffe, so keepers need to take things extra slowly with her and her offspring.

    For the time being they are bonding in the giraffe nursery, with Ellie getting used to her son and learning how to nurse him properly. As some human mums will know, this is not always easy, and Ellie has had some difficulties over the past two days allowing her son to feed. But he is strong, tall (over 180cm) and Perth’s expert and dedicated team are continuing to support Mum, calf and the rest of the herd.

    The new arrival is the second giraffe born at the Perth Zoo in the last four weeks AND it is also the first time in Perth Zoo history they’ve had two giraffe calves at the same time!
     
    That means double the cuteness and double the contribution to the regional breeding program.  
     
    Perth will let everyone know when their latest long-legged family member is ready to see visitors.

  • Giraffe Calf at Fossil Rim in Dallas, Texas!

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    If you didn’t know, Dallas/Fort Worth's Fossil Rim Wildlife Center had a giraffe calf born in July! Make sure to watch the whole video for an extra surprise.

     

     

  • Emma the Giraffe Has a New Baby

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    Springfield, MO –Dickerson Park Zoo is happy to announce Emma the giraffe had her baby sometime in the early morning hours on September 21, 2021.

    Emma’s pregnancy was unexpected and considered high risk. The zoo’s animal care staff had been closely monitoring her as well as preparing for a potential C-section if necessary.

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    The calf was discovered early this morning when zoo staff arrived to check on Emma. The baby is up and walking, and both mother and baby appear to be doing well. At this time, the animal care team will continue to observe from a distance and allow mother and baby time to bond.

    “We are grateful for all the well wishes when it was announced Emma was expecting and the pregnancy was high risk,” said zoo spokeswoman Joey Powell. “We were hopeful she would be able to go into labor and deliver on her own. Seeing both mom and baby up and moving this morning made a rainy day brighter.”

    Dickerson Park Zoo is doing a gender and name reveal at 11 a.m. CST Friday, September 24 on Facebook live: https://www.facebook.com/DPZoo/

    Photos by Zookeeper Christina Rizzo