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 |
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