The Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend announced the birth of a female Masai giraffe calf Oct. 13.
Veterinarian and animal care staff checked the calf, and both she and her mother, Zindzhi, seem to be healthy and thriving. The calf weighed about 135 pounds at birth and is about six feet tall. Adult female Masai giraffes can be about 16 feet tall and weigh up to 2,700 pounds.
The calf may be visible to the public in the giraffe barn or outside, weather permitting. Zoo staff may limit the calf's outdoor access while she's still a baby to days when it is sunny and 60 degrees.
Josh Sisk, Potawatomi Zoo executive director, expressed the zoo’s excitement about the new baby.
“This is an incredible opportunity for us to educate our visitors about giraffes in the wild, which is at the heart of our mission,” Sisk said in a press release. “But not only that, it’s also an incredible opportunity for the community, who has supported the Zoo and its giraffes every step of the way, to watch our first calf grow up.”
Zindzhi was pregnant when she arrived at the Potawatomi Zoo in November 2023. The father is a male Masai giraffe from her previous residence, an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited facility.
Gestation for giraffes is 14 to 15 months. Mothers give birth standing up, and calves fall about six feet to the ground at birth. Calves can stand, walk, nurse and run within hours of being born. The calf will nurse for about 9-12 months but start eating solid food at about 4 months old.
Scientists estimate that there fewer than 90,000 giraffes in the world. They are vulnerable to extinction.
Masai giraffes are the largest of the species or subspecies of giraffe. They’re native to southern Kenya and Tanzania. Scientists consider Masai giraffes to be endangered in the wild, and their population is decreasing. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates there are about 35,000 Masai giraffes.
The Potawatomi Zoo is home to over 400 animals. The zoo aims to protect and preserve the diversity of species on Earth and to be responsible and respectful of the animals entrusted to its care. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited the Potawatomi Zoo in 1987.
