Cuteness Alert: Giraffe Calf Born at the Detroit Zoo [Video & Gallery]

ROYAL OAK, MI — The Detroit Zoo has a new arrival, a female reticulated giraffe born at 8:21 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 6, to 7-year-old Kivuli following a 14-month gestation. The father is 8-year-old Jabari.

This is the pair’s second offspring in two years; 1-year-old male Mpenzi was born at the Zoo on September 30, 2014.

The yet-to-be-named calf – born outdoors at the giraffe habitat – took her first steps within a half hour of her birth and nursed throughout the night, according to animal care staff who witnessed the birth and have monitored mom and baby around the clock.

“This is a wonderful new addition to the Detroit Zoo. The calf is doing great – she has been spending time with mom and is curious about big brother Mpenzi,” said Scott Carter, Detroit Zoological Society chief life sciences officer.

The calf weighs 166 pounds and stands more than 5 feet tall. The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) –tallest of all land mammals ­– can reach heights of up to 18 feet and weigh up to 2,600 pounds.

Giraffes give birth while standing and the newborn falls more than 5 feet, enough to break the umbilical cord.
Giraffe numbers have plummeted in the wild over the last 15 years, down by more than 40 percent from approximately 140,000 to less than 80,000 individuals.

“There is growing conservation concern with wild giraffe populations due to poaching, loss of habitat, and the effects of war and civil unrest across Africa. The Detroit Zoo's newest giraffe is truly an ambassador for her cousins in the wild,” said Carter.

Images: Jennie Miller courtesy of the Detroit Zoo