The new year brought in a special surprise for the Louisville Zoo earlier this week as it welcomed its newest addition to the animal crew with a baby giraffe!
The yet-to-be-named baby boy was the 20th giraffe born at the Louisville Zoo Monday, January 11th and weighed in at 130 lbs, with a size of 5 feet and 10 inches. Mom and son are both doing great, although they are currently off-exhibit to visitors. Officials plan to name the newest zoo member at a later date in conjunction with a naming contest.
Giraffes are typically able to run and behave similarly to a week-old calf only hours after being born. Louisville Zoo Assistant Mammal Curator Candy McMahan said “It’s exciting to see this independent, precocious little calf already up running and playing. He is so steady on his feet—he stood faster than any giraffe calf I have ever seen” according to louisvillezoo.org.
Once full grown, the baby can expect to be anywhere from 14 to 17 feet tall, weigh well over 2,500 lbs and expect to live approximately 28 years in captivity.
Details including the naming contest and public viewing of the new baby are still being worked out, but officials hope to have more information in the coming weeks. In the meantime, visitors can follow the calf and his daily activities at the Louisville Zoo website: www.louisvillezoo.org.
Photo: Flickr/wwarby
