THE NEWEST arrival to Dublin Zoo stuck her neck out for the first time yesterday as a new Rothschild giraffe calf made her first public appearance.
While good things are said to come in small packages, the new giraffe calf is the exception – she is already almost two metres tall (6ft 6in) and weighs 40kg (88lb) just over a month after her birth to mother Maeve.
The delay in the calf’s big debut appearance was due to the recent weather conditions, which meant she had been kept indoors to prevent her fragile legs slipping in the snow and ice.
Following a period of adjustment after her arrival in the zoo from Fota Wildlife Park in 2009, Maeve successfully bred with bull giraffe Robin and, following a 15-month gestation period, Maeve’s first-born calf was born healthy and is being well looked after by her mother, according to zoo staff.
Helen Clarke-Bennet, team leader of the African Plains, said that both mother and baby were doing well. “We are delighted to see her first-time mum is being very attentive and is nurturing her newborn with great care.
“When the weather took a turn we had to keep her in from the snow as she is still very delicate and we didn’t want to risk her falling on the ice,” she said.
Finding a name for the new arrival has, however, proven to be a tall order.
Dublin Zoo remains open to ideas and those who have suggestions for a name for the new arrival, based on her African origin, can send them to the zoo by post, e-mail or via the zoo’s Facebook page.
In the meantime, the newest addition to the giraffe herd can be seen in the African Savanna section of the zoo.