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The giraffe born at the Dallas Zoo last week is a levelheaded infant miss , consort to a zoo spokeswoman .
The spindly - legged bundle of pleasure weighs 139 lb . ( 63 kilograms ) and stands 5 pes 10 inch ( 1.8 meters ) tall , read Laurie Holloway , the Dallas Zoo ’s manager of communications and social media .
The new baby giraffe gets some TLC from her mom, a giraffe named Katie.
Agiraffe named Katiegave birthto the calfskin on Friday ( April 10 ) , and the event was pour live online . The zoo is hold a public balloting to name the sura afterwards this week , Holloway told Live Science . [ In Photos : See Cute Pics of Baby Giraffes ]
Animal Planet set up 10 cameras in the zoo ’s maternity barn to give at - home watcher a hazard to see the remarkable event know and acquire about the state of these animals in the wild .
" present this birthing also allowed us to teach about Giraffa camelopardalis , including how threatened they are in Africa , " stave members said in aQ&A on the zoo ’s website . " We hope that will convert more people to get involve in preservation efforts with the groups with which we partner to help preserve giraffes in the wild . "
The baby doesn’t have a name yet, but the public will be able to vote on one later this week.
The new-sprung sura is not on display to the populace yet because showery weather has made the outdoor home ground turbid , which could be serious if the baby giraffe were to fall , zookeepers say . But once the weather pass up , the infant will be let out to roleplay .
How giraffes are born
A giraffe ’s gestation period period typically endure 15 months , according to Animal Planet . Giraffes give birth stand up up , and the babe fall about 6 feet ( 1.83 m ) to the ground . The fall break the amnic sac , a fluid - fill sack that protects a developing foetus , severs the umbilical cord and encourage the sura to breathe on its own , Holloway said .
Katie collapse birth in a specially prepared maternity kiosk , outfitted with 6 inch ( 15 centimeter ) of cushy dirt to cushion the baby ’s dusk , Holloway said . So far , the calfskin has been nursing normally , according to zoological garden staff . She will continue to get Milk River for nine to 12 months but will begin to eat on solid food for thought ( farewell ) within four calendar month .
Zookeepers will choose three names for the calf , and members of the world will be able to vote on their preferred choice after this week . The menagerie typically names its animals in the language of their native country .
The fresh calfskin ’s father is a giraffe named Tebogo . This is not Katie ’s first calfskin — she already has a 4 - year - old calf identify Jamie , according to zoo staff .
Giraffesare not endangered , but their numbers in the state of nature are decreasing . About 80,000 untamed giraffe live on the African continent — down from 140,000 animals in 1999 , according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature . The reticulated giraffe ( the subspecies to which Katie and her sura belong ) has an gauge population of 4,700 — down from an estimated 31,000 in 1998 , according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation .
