Baby giraffe born at Alabama zoo

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — For the first time in a decade, a baby giraffe has been born at the Birmingham Zoo.

The unnamed reticulated giraffe is the daughter of giraffes Ruby and Jalil and was born at 12:19 a.m. Wednesday, marking the fifth member of the giraffe herd at the zoo’s Trails of Africa section. The last baby giraffe born at the zoo was in 2014.

Ruby, 4, first came to the zoo in 2022 while Jalil, 17, has been a mainstay at the zoo since 2007. Their pairing was the result of a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Giraffe Species Survival Plan, a cooperative management program that ensures healthy, sustainable populations in AZA zoos.

“We are overjoyed to welcome this beautiful baby giraffe to our Zoo family,” Zoo President and CEO Chris Pfefferkorn said in a statement. “Giraffe populations in the wild and declining and the birth of this giraffe is another step in the Zoo’s work to help with the conservation of giraffes.”

Zoo guests may have the opportunity to catch glimpses of the adorable calf as it explores its new home with Rub. In the coming weeks, the baby giraffe will spend time in the giraffe barn, as well as in the yard.

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