First giraffe calf in 28 years born at Singapore Zoo
SINGAPORE — Visitors to the Singapore Zoo can now view the zoo’s first giraffe calf in 28 years as it made its official debut today (Now 12)
Measuring 1.9m tall at birth on Aug 31, the as yet unnamed calf is Singapore’s “tallest SG50 baby”, said Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) tongue-in-cheek in a press release.
It is the first offspring of mom Roni and dad Growie, which arrived at Singapore Zoo in 2005 from Israel and the Netherlands respectively.
The calf was kept separate from the rest of the giraffe herd in the first month to allow mother and baby to bond. It has since been reintroduced to the other giraffes — father Growie and Lucy, an unrelated female. The proces took close to three weeks. All four now share the exhibit, which has been baby-proofed for the calf’s safety.
The calf, now 2.3m tall, can be seen exploring and running around in the exhibit at the Zoo’s Wild Africa zone. “While he’s starting to get used to passing trams and visitors, he will still race back to the safety of mom’s towering presence when faced with something unfamiliar,” said WRS.
(Videos courtesy of Wildlife Reserves Singapore)
Wildlife Reserves Singapore Chief Life Sciences Officer Cheng Wen-Haur said: “Animal babies are always a cause for celebration as they are a good indication that the animals under our care feel comfortable and secure enough to breed in the environment that we’ve created for them.
“We hope the calf will tug at visitors’ heartstrings and inspire them to find out more about giraffes, and other animals that thrive in the same environment as these majestic creatures”.
Visitors can follow updates on the baby giraffe’s development at www.zoo.com.sg/sg50babygiraffe.
