Melbourne Zoo is celebrating a landmark moment: the arrival of its first giraffe calf in almost 20 years. The newborn, alf to be born at the zoo in almost 20 years. The male calf was delivered by mum Nakuru and is yet to be named.
This special birth is a rarity – giraffe pregnancies last around 15 months, and calf mortality is high.
Zoo staff report the calf’s first steps came swiftly, and – true to nature – he began walking within an hour of birth.
You won’t be able to see him just yet: mum and bub are being given plenty of space to bond and get to know one another in the privacy of their barn before he can be seen by the public.
