It's a girl: Baby giraffe born at Birmingham Zoo
The Birmingham Zoo this week welcomed the birth of a healthy female giraffe.
According to a news release, the baby reticulated giraffe was born at 12:19 a.m. Wednesday. This marks the first baby giraffe born at the Birmingham Zoo since 2014.
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“We are overjoyed to welcome this beautiful baby giraffe to our zoo family,” said Chris Pfefferkorn, CEO and president of the Birmingham Zoo, in the news release. “Giraffe populations in the wild are declining and the birth of this giraffe is another step in the zoo’s work to help with the conservation of giraffes.”
The calf's mother is Ruby, a 4-year-old reticulated giraffe who has been at the Birmingham Zoo since 2022. This is the first time she has given birth and zoo officials say Ruby is doing well with her new baby.
The calf's father is 17-year-old Jalil, who has been at the zoo since 2007.
Ruby and Jalil were paired after a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Giraffe Species Survival Plan. The zoo’s animal care team monitored Ruby’s health and well-being throughout her pregnancy.
Mother and calf are now bonding behind the scenes in the zoo's Trails of Africa section, but guests should be able to catch glimpses of the calf as she explores her new home, according to the news release. The baby giraffe will spend time in the giraffe barn, as well as in the yard in the next few weeks.
For more information about the zoo, go to www.birminghamzoo.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: It's a girl: Meet the new baby giraffe born at the Birmingham Zoo
