Giraffe Born at the Buffalo Zoo
The Buffalo Zoo is celebrating the birth of a male giraffe.
The yet-unnamed baby was born on Friday, October 24 to mother, 5-year-old A.J, and father, 3-year-old Moke. Both are first time parents.
The giraffe house will be closed temporarily, as A.J. takes some time to bond with her baby, and the herd adjusts to his presence. Zoo visitors will be able to enter the vestibule of the giraffe house and view the animals through the windows.
The gestation period of giraffes is around 15 months. Calves usually remain with their mothers until they are around 22 months old.
Giraffes are native to the plains of Africa . The number of giraffes in the wild has dropped from 140,000 in 1999 to fewer than 80,000 today. The decreasing population is attributed to poaching, disease, and loss of natural habitat.
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| photo credit: Zoo registrar, Kelly Brown |
