Baby Masai Giraffe Makes Debut At LA Zoo

The Los Angeles Zoo’s newest furry family member made his public debut on Monday. You can find the roughly six-week-old male Masai giraffe in the zoo’s Africa section.

The 6-foot-4-inch, 174-pound calf was born in September with help from a cooperative breeding program. The Masai Giraffe Species Survival Plan recommended pairing his parents, 12-year-old female Zainabu and 11-year-old male Philip, who also live at the L.A. Zoo.

The calf doesn’t have a name just yet, but senior animal keeper Jonnie Greslie-Stroud said he’s a healthy, big boy. She said he looks small compared to the rest of the giraffes, but he’s already put on a few inches and pounds.

“He was standing, walking and nursing within 90 minutes after birth,” animal keeper Mike Bona said in a statement.

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Greslie-Stroud said they usually keep babies separate for a few weeks before introducing them to the whole herd, and this calf is integrating well, even with the other males.

However, the L.A. Zoo likely won’t be his forever home.

Masai giraffes are the largest giraffe species and the tallest land mammal, growing up to 18 feet tall and weighing more than 2,500 pounds. Greslie-Stroud said the L.A. Zoo is just too small to keep the whole family together.

“We are not set up for a huge herd,” she said. “He will be passed along to another zoo.”

Masai giraffes are also endangered, and the calf could end up helping with the breeding program that brought him into the world. The species survival plan works with accredited zoos to maintain genetic diversity and health in the North America zoo population.

As of now, the calf is still figuring out his life at the L.A. Zoo. If you want to see him and the rest of the herd, the Masai giraffes are usually out and about in their habitat during the day.