VIDEO: It’s A Boy, Brevard Zoo Welcomes 6-Foot-2 Inch Tall Newborn Baby Giraffe

By  //  May 4, 2017

Calf About 6’2” Tall, Weighed 160 Pounds At Birth

ABOVE VIDEO: It’s a boy! Johari delivered this six-footer in the early morning hours of April 25. Both mom and baby are very healthy.

BREVARD COUNTY •VIERA, FLORIDA – In the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 25, Brevard Zoo’s 17-year-old giraffe Johari gave birth to a male calf.

The two will remain behind the scenes for several weeks. This bundle of joy is the first giraffe born at the Zoo since March 2016, and is Johari’s eighth calf and fifth male.

Eighteen-year-old Rafiki is the father.

“All animals born at the Zoo undergo a neonatal exam where we check their overall health,” said Michelle Smurl, the Zoo’s director of animal programs. “The exam for this little one was conducted on Thursday and everything looks good so far.”

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At the time of the exam, the calf was about 6’2” tall and weighed 160 pounds.

Seven of the Zoo’s eight giraffe belong to the Masai subspecies, which is native to Tanzania and southern Kenya. Habitat loss, poaching, disease and civil unrest pose the most significant threats to wild giraffe.

In the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 25, Brevard Zoo’s 17-year-old giraffe Johari gave birth to a male calf. (Brevard Zoo image)

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