A male Baringo giraffe calf has made its debut at the Bronx Zoo’s African Plains this past week.
The giraffe, James Marjani, was born on September 14, 2011, and became the eighth member of the herd. He also became the first giraffe calf born at the Bronx Zoo since February 2009.
James was approximately six feet tall at birth and estimated to weigh more than 100 pounds—As an adult, he could eventually grow to more than 17 feet and weigh close to 4,000 pounds.
According to WCS, in anticipation of the birth, keepers prepared a stall with a heavy layer of straw bedding to help absorb the impact of the calf’s 6-foot drop from his mother. Keepers kept mom and baby separated from the other giraffes for several days to give them time to bond before slowly introducing them to the rest of the herd.
The new calf will be on exhibit intermittently for the first several weeks he adjusts to his new surroundings. Exhibit times will vary.Interestingly, baby giraffes start walking within the first few hours of birth, though keepers kept mom and baby separated from the other giraffes for several days to give them time to bond before slowly introducing them to the rest of the herd.
The Baringo giraffe is native to western Kenya and eastern Uganda. Giraffes are the tallest animal in the world and have an 18-inch-long tongue that they use to grasp branches and pull leaves from trees.
