Belfast Zoo welcomes endangered giraffe calf

Belfast Zoo is celebrating the birth of an endangered Rothschild’s giraffe.

Ballyhenry was born at 2.30pm on July 24th inside the giraffe house, which was closed to the public to provide privacy for bonding. The male calf measures 5ft 7in and he and his mother, Casey, are doing well, the zoo said.

Belfast Zoo traditionally names giraffes after places beginning with Bally. The male Rothschild’s giraffe calf is named Ballyhenry, a townland in Co Antrim, which was chosen by curator Raymond Robinson.

Newborn giraffes usually weigh about 100kg and are generally 5ft 9in tall, according to the zoo.

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Rothschild’s giraffes are one of the most endangered giraffe subspecies. Estimates suggest that only about 2,000 remain in the wild as a result of illegal hunting and habitat loss.

Sustained conservation action has helped the general giraffe population move from “endangered” status to “near threatened” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, but the Rothschild’s giraffe subspecies remains endangered.

Alyn Cairns, Belfast Zoo manager, said it first welcomed Rothschild’s giraffes in 1988 and have since celebrated the birth of 39 calves.

“We’re proud to participate in a European breeding programme and collaborate with zoos around the world. Our breeding success helps to ensure that there is a safety net population of this endangered subspecies,” she said.