Baby Giraffe Born at Nashville Zoo
Margarita the giraffe just gave birth to a female calf at the Nashville Zoo on Sunday, June 10. Just four days old, the baby giraffe already stands 6 feet, 2 inches tall (1.9 meters) and weighs about 160 pounds (73 kilograms).
Mother and calf are doing well and are currently off exhibit, the zoo said. Zoo officials plan to carefully monitor the baby's development and will make a decision on her public debut in the coming weeks.
"We've been watching Margarita very closely in anticipation of this event," said mammal curator Connie Philipp in a statement. "This is her second calf, and she is showing us some great maternal skills. We look forward to showing the new calf to our guests soon."
Masai giraffe are native to the savannas of Kenya and Tanzania in Africa and are known for their oak-leaf shaped spot pattern. They are the tallest giraffe subspecies, and the tallest land animal on Earth.
With the addition of the calf, Nashville Zoo is now home to three Masai giraffe and one reticulated giraffe. Margarita's first calf,Suzasita, was born on Nov. 3, 2010, and was later sent to The Wilds in Ohio to be introduced to her new herd.
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