(WWJ) – The Detroit Zoo has a new baby giraffe, and despite a tough first few days, he’s doing well, officials announced Monday.
Zara, the zoo’s 5-year-old giraffe, gave birth to a male calf on May 31, the zoo announced in a Facebook post.
Though the newborn was slightly underweight and had difficulty nursing, he seems to be healthy at this point.
He is the first calf for Zara, and the act of nursing “seemed to give her discomfort,” officials said.
As a result, the calf did not receive the critical nutrients he needed during his first 12 hours of life.
The zoo’s animal care and veterinary teams made the decision to step in and provided 24/7 observation and care in the coming days, realizing they “needed to support the mother in this journey.”
They consulted experts from Associations of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited institutions around the country to explore ways of making Zara more comfortable during the nursing process. All their hard work and creative thinking paid off.
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Two weeks after his birth, the calf – who has not yet been named – is nursing several times a day and “gaining weight at a healthy and appropriate rate.”
“Our animal care team is continuing to keep a close eye on the pair via cameras placed within their habitat,” the Facebook post says. “We have every reason to believe the calf is now off to a healthy start and will meet important developmental milestones.”
Officials say the other giraffes at the zoo have seen the new giraffe and physical introductions will begin soon.
For the time being, Zara and her calf are not visible to the public, but the zoo will release details soon on when she and her newborn will be visible.
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