Guests see tall bundle of joy arrive at San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo guests got an extra thrill Tuesday, August 19, as a female Masai giraffe gave birth to a baby girl while on exhibit. The baby, as yet unnamed, weighed in at 145 pounds, and stood at 62 inches tall by Wednesday morning when veterinary staff did an exam.

Both baby and mom are doing well after a two-hour labour. One hour after her birth at 2:45 p.m., the baby was nursing and drawing oooohs and aaahs from guests.

"Abby, the mom, is very experienced," said Ann Alfama, lead keeper at the San Diego Zoo. "She and the baby are in the nursery area and they are slowly being introduced to the rest of the giraffe herd."

The nursery area is a side yard to the exhibit that allows the mom and her baby to bond without concerns. The area is still visible to the public, so guests get a chance to see the days-old calf.

Masai giraffes are one of several of giraffe subspecies, and are native to the savannas of East Africa. Giraffes are the tallest land mammal and males can reach up to 18 feet tall. Females generally reach 14 feet.

The 100-acre San Diego Zoo is operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego. The Zoological Society, dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats, engages in conservation and research work around the globe and is responsible for maintaining accredited horticultural, animal, library, and photo collections.

The Zoological Society also manages the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat) and the San Diego Zoo's Beckman Center for Conservation Research. The important conservation and science work of these entities is supported in part by the Foundation for the Zoological Society of San Diego.

For more information, log on to Sandiegozoo.org.