A Newborn Male Reticulated Giraffe Calf at Rio Grande Zoo

By Amy Landers

Albuquerque, NM - The ABQ BioPark welcomed a newborn reticulated giraffe calf on Thursday, May 21 at 4:55pm. The male calf was born to 14-year-old Kashka and 10-year-old Buccaneer. Dozens of visitors witnessed the birth and the newborn’s first steps about 30 minutes later.

Standing and walking are important first milestones for calves. Giraffes are native to the savanna (grasslands) of Africa, where even newborns must be able to elude hungry predators. A newborn giraffe is between five and six feet tall--just tall enough to nurse from its mother. Calves weigh between 120-150 pounds at birth.

This is Kashka’s 6th calf and the first giraffe born at the zoo since the summer of 2007. Mother and calf are doing well and can be seen at the Zoo’s giraffe exhibit.

The BioPark is an accessible facility and a division of the City of Albuquerque’s Cultural Services Department. Contact the BioPark at 311 locally, (505) 768-2000 (Relay NM or 711). Find more information at http://www.cabq.gov/biopark.

Same day combo admission to the BioPark’s Rio Grande Zoo, Albuquerque Aquarium and Rio Grande Botanic Garden is $12 for adults; $5 for seniors 65 and older and for children 3-12. New Mexico BioPark Society membership confers FREE general admission to all BioPark facilities and discounts to many special events, including summer concerts. Find out more about becoming a BioPark Society member at nmbioparksociety.org.

The Albuquerque Biological Park is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) every five years. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things. With more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats. For more information visit http://www.aza.org.

To view Rio Grande Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-94-Rio_Grande_Zoo