COLORADO SPRINGS — Cheyenne Mountain Zoo announced in May one of their giraffes was pregnant. Now's the time to welcome the new calf!
The facility announced in late May that Msitu was expecting this year. This is her third calf born at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
The female calf was born at 1:20 p.m. Saturday. The approximately 6-foot tall newborn was up and stable on all fours about 30 minutes after birth.
More than 5,000 people at a time were watching the event as momma and the staff encouraged the calf to stand up for the first time.
According to the zoo, the calf won't be named until he or she is 30 days old. There are now 16 reticulated giraffe at the facility well-known for the excellent care provided to these animals. There are just over 11,000 mature reticulated giraffe individuals in the wild, and that population is decreasing. According to International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the reticulated giraffe population has declined by 56% in the last thirty years.
So when can you see momma and the new calf? If everything goes well that could happen as soon as tomorrow, with limited opportunities. The remainder of the herd will be out and about in the enclosure for the normal routine of enjoying tasty lettuce snacks from visitors.
The zoo says the giraffe calves can fall nearly six feet when they're born. The first thing viewers will see is the two front hooves emerging from the giraffe
(Part 1 of the video is below)
