The baby giraffe received neonatal exams as part of a preventative medicine program directed by Zoo Miami’s Animal Health Department in conjunction with the Animal Science Department.
Zoo Miami – 57th Baby Giraffe
12-year-old Sabra’s female calf having her eyes checked.
Zoo Miami – 57th Baby Giraffe
Another angle of the eye exam.
Zoo Miami – 57th Baby Giraffe
The baby calf’s first ear exam.
Zoo Miami – 57th Baby Giraffe
The baby calf getting her teeth checked.
Zoo Miami – 57th Baby Giraffe
The calf stood over 5-feet tall and weighed approximately 120 pounds.
Zoo Miami – 57th Baby Giraffe
Initial indications are that the calf is healthy and she was quickly returned to her mother in an off-exhibit area.
Zoo Miami – 57th Baby Giraffe
The female calf on the move to be reunited with Sabra.
Zoo Miami – 57th Baby Giraffe
Sabra and the baby will remain apart from the herd for an unspecified amount of time until the staff feels that the calf is ready to be introduced.
Zoo Miami – 57th Baby Giraffe
The 120-pound calf’s father is Malcolm, a 5-year-old giraffe who arrived in 2018 from the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska.
Zoo Miami – 57th Baby Giraffe
The baby giraffe is Malcolm’s fourth calf.
Zoo Miami – 57th Baby Giraffe
Giraffe have a pregnancy of approximately 15 months and the mother rarely, if ever, lies down while giving birth.
Zoo Miami – 57th Baby Giraffe
Newborn giraffe fall 4-6 feet to the floor, receiving quite an introduction to the world!
Zoo Miami – 57th Baby Giraffe
The status of the giraffe in the wild is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature due to significant reductions to their populations over the last several years.
