Baby giraffe makes public debut at LA Zoo

The Calgary Zoo is celebrating the arrival of a baby giraffe, but she won’t make her public debut until next week. Born on October 9, the calf has yet to be named by the zoo, but he weighs in at 130 pounds and stands just under six feet tall.

On Thursday, 22-year-old mom Carrie gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

He is the first baby born to 4-year-old Zainabu. It’s the firstborn of his mother, Zainabu.

Animal keeper Mike Bona says visitors who want to see the calf while he’s still relatively small should come while he’s still young because he could be almost 10 feet (3 metres) tall by his first birthday.

Wild populations of giraffes are estimated to range between 80,000 to 140,000 and and face increasing threats due to habitat loss and poaching.

The largest of the nine subspecies of giraffe, Masai giraffes are found in east Africa.