Giraffe calf born at a zoo in Suffolk for the first time in six years

A giraffe has been born at Africa Alive! in Suffolk for the first time in six years.

The male calf, who has not been named yet, was born on Wednesday (October 7) to first-time parents, Kibibi and Jengo.

Kibibi was the last giraffe born at the zoo in 2014.

The female giraffe has a gestation period of approximately 15 months.

She will normally just have one calf at a time and can have up to eight in her lifetime.

The mother gives birth standing up, so when born, the baby giraffe falls seven feet to the ground.

Calves are around six feet tall at birth and they can grow up to nine inches during the first month of their life.

Gary Batters, joint managing director, said:

There are nine different sub-species of giraffe, one of which is the reticulated giraffe which can be found in the wild in the arid areas of North and East Africa. With an IUCN Red List status of ‘Endangered’, it has been estimated that fewer than 11,000 mature individuals were known to be living in the wild at the end of 2018 - from an estimated 28,000 as recently as the late 1990s.

The reticulated giraffe is one of the more common giraffe sub-species that are kept in captivity, with 160 animals being held in 54 zoos across Europe and the U.K.