New giraffe born at Cincinnati Zoo
4/28/2014CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is welcoming a new baby giraffe.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports 7-year-old mother Tessa gave birth around 5:30 a.m. today. Zoo officials couldn’t immediate determine the calf’s gender.
The newborn won’t be on public view for several days.
It’s Tessa’s third calf in three years. She gave birth to Lulu in 2012 and to Zuri in 2011. Zuri broke her leg in a stall at 7 weeks and was euthanized.
In 2008, Tessa came to Cincinnati from the Houston Zoo and her mating partner, Kimba, came from the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, R.I.
The first giraffe was born in captivity in Cincinnati in 1889. According to the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, 47 giraffes were born in North American zoos last year.