Maryland Zoo Welcomes First Baby Giraffe Since 1997

BALTIMORE, MD — It's not every day that a 6-foot-tall baby appears. But that's just what happened this month at the Maryland Zoo, which welcomed its first baby giraffe in 20 years.

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome this beautiful calf to the zoo family,” Maryland Zoo President/CEO Don Hutchinson said in a statement. “She will bring a lot of excitement to the Giraffe House and make a wonderful addition to the herd.”

Juma the giraffe, 4, is a first-time mom, according to zoo officials, who said Thursday that she and 11-year-old Caesar welcomed their new baby into the world on Feb. 6.

Mom went into labor at 3 p.m.; the calf was born at 4:35 p.m.; and by 5:30 p.m., the baby was standing up. The baby giraffe measured 6 feet 1 inch tall and 125 pounds.

“Standing is one of the first major milestones for a newborn giraffe, and she was able to fully stand on her own in just 50 minutes,” said Erin Cantwell, mammal collection and conservation manager. “It’s safe to say that we were all silently cheering her on and were very excited to see her up on four legs.”

The baby will not be visible to the public for a little while so she can get acclimated to her new environment. And people are not the only ones waiting to get a gander.

"All the other giraffes are curious about this new addition," Cantwell said. "It’s fun to watch them watching the calf."

Zoo personnel say that the baby appears to be in good health.

"All signs so far indicate we have a very healthy and strong female calf, and certainly an excellent mom," Associate Veterinarian Samantha Sander said.

The last baby giraffe born at the Maryland Zoo was Angel, who at the age of 17 was humanely euthanized due to age-related issues in 2014, according to zoo officials.

Juma, Caesar and the calf are reticulated giraffes, the tallest species on the planet, whose long necks allow them to munch on leaves higher than most animals can reach.

One more reticulated giraffe on the planet is a big deal, as there a little more than 8,000 of them.

Giraffes as a whole were recently added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's vulnerable list; the global environmental organization reports the giraffe population has declined 40 percent over the last 30 years due to illegal hunting, habitat loss and civil unrest.

Images courtesy of the Maryland Zoo