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Comment by Christian Pasq.
Amazing ❤️💕🦒
Comment by Hugh MacDonald.
"Kiko Jr." or just "Jr."
Comment by John Collins.
Name him Kiko as well
Toronto Zoo welcomes new baby Masai giraffe
The newborn calf was born Sunday morning, the zoo says, a little over a month after its father, Kiko, died in an accident. The unnamed calf and its mother are doing well, according to a statement from the zoo.
Calf's birth comes just over a month after father's unexpected death
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The Toronto Zoo says it welcomed a new baby Masai giraffe over the weekend.
The unnamed baby giraffe — a roughly two-metre tall female — was born just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday, the zoo said in a news release. It was already standing within about 30 minutes.
"Both Mom and baby have been doing well and were left to bond over the weekend," the release said.
The zoo had announced on Mother's Day of last year that mom, Mstari, was already six-months pregnant and would likely give birth in late winter or early spring.
WATCH | Video shows baby giraffe's birth, first moments:
The zoo said it will post updates of Mstari and her baby on social media, including when the public "will have an opportunity to meet this tall bundle of joy."
The birth comes a short time after the calf's father, Kiko, died on New Year's Day after becoming trapped in a habitat door.
"While we continue to feel his absence, his legacy lives on," the zoo said in the release.
The zoo said in a statement last month that male giraffes usually leave their female mates to raise their calves on their own, "rather than providing protection, guidance, or caring to their offspring."
WATCH | Kiko the giraffe dies at Toronto Zoo:
The Toronto Zoo says a 13-year-old giraffe has died after getting caught in an opening door to his behind-the-scenes habitat.
The new calf was the result of Mstari's third pregnancy.
Masai giraffes are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Toronto Zoo's website. They are considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation and Nature.
They typically live between 20 to 25 years, zookeeper Amy Gerditschke said last year.
Fewer than 35,000 Masai giraffes survive in the wild, and the species has declined by more than 50 per cent in the last 30 years, according to a previous Toronto Zoo release. Illegal hunting and habitat loss are their primary threats.
