LA Zoo unveils newest baby giraffe on World Giraffe Day

Thursday, June 21, 2018
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A six foot tall baby has just made the Los Angeles Zoo her home.

Officials released video of the zoo's newest star, a one-month-old baby giraffe that weighs 176 pounds and is around six feet tall.
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"She is one of the largest calves we've had born at the LA Zoo since I started working here in 2005," said Mike Bona, an animal keeper at the zoo, in a statement.

The Masai giraffe calf was born on May 15 to mom Hasina and dad Phillip, who were paired together through a Species Survival Plan, a program meant to protect the survival of a threatened species in the wild.

The unnamed calf is her mother's fourth calf and her father's third.
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The timing of her birth coincides with World Giraffe Day celebrated on Thursday, which is dedicated to bringing attention to current conservation efforts for different subspecies of giraffes.

"It is great timing that she was born before World Giraffe Day," Bona said. "Not only does her birth help continue the Zoo's efforts in its giraffe breeding program, but it also gives us an opportunity to educate guests on giraffe conservation and the current threats that the species faces in the wild."



Guests can visit the calf during Zoo hours, weather permitting.
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