Monday July 14, 2014 Australia Zoo Welcomes our Newest – and Tallest – Baby to the Family! Australia Zoo is thrilled to announce the birth of our second giraffe calf, a beautiful baby girl. th
At 4.30pm AEST on Thursday 10 July, first-­‐time mother Sally gave birth to the gorgeous calf at Australia Zoo on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Australia Zoo curator Kelsey Engle says that mother and daughter are doing really well. “We are so excited to announce the birth of a beautiful, healthy baby giraffe. The calf is just under 2m in height, would weigh approximately 50kg and is doing extremely well. She made her first attempts at walking around half an hour after being born, and it only took around another 30 minutes for the youngster to fully master those long gangly legs. “We’re really happy with the progress – Everything is looking good so far.” This delightful outcome has been a long time coming for the staff at Australia Zoo, with giraffe gestation periods typically spanning over 15 months. “First-­‐time mum Sally had a great pregnancy and we could see the development of the baby as we carried out regular ultrasounds throughout,” says Kelsey, “It was an extremely active calf and often gave us a kick during the procedure during the last couple months! “Although seeming a little surprised to see the baby at the end of the labour, Sally did an amazing job as her motherly instincts kicked in. She was extremely attentive, licking and cleaning the baby immediately.” The new calf is Sally’s first, but she is welcomed into a strong family of giraffe including her half sister Skye, born at Australia Zoo in October 2013. One of our other giraffe, Penny is also expecting a calf in the very near future! This new calf and the upcoming birth are signs of a healthy giraffe breeding program at Australia Zoo. With a dedicated crew and lots of hard work, we have been able to achieve extraordinary monitoring of the girls through their pregnancies, extending the knowledge base on giraffe reproductive biology in areas rarely examined before. Australia Zoo also hosts giraffe encounters with the general public that directly contribute funds to conservation projects with animals in Africa. In celebration of the exciting new arrival, Australia Zoo has partnered with Channel Seven’s Sunrise to offer th
Sunrise viewers the chance to name the new baby giraffe. The competition will run from 6am on Monday 14 th
July until 5pm Wednesday 16 July, with the winner selected by the Irwin family, and announced on-­‐air on Sunrise. Viewers must go to the Sunrise website – www.yahoo7.com.au/sunrise -­‐ and suggest their chosen name and reason why to be in the draw. Mum and Bub will now be taking some precious time out to bond, but the public can stay up to date on all the news about Australia Zoo’s growing giraffe family at: www.australiazoo.com.au/giraffe -­‐ENDS-­‐ For more information please contact the Australia Zoo media department on: 0429 440 141 or [email protected]