ROCHESTER, N.Y. — For the first time ever, a baby Masai giraffe has been born at New York state’s Seneca Park Zoo.
According to WROC-TV, the Rochester attraction said first-time mother Iggy and father Parker welcomed the unnamed calf Friday morning. The newborn seems healthy and is nursing, the zoo said in a news release.
“We will continue to monitor mom and baby around the clock,” the zoo’s general curator, David Hamilton, said in a statement. “Giraffe births are always high risk, so the next few days are very important to ensure both mom and baby are healthy.”
The zoo said its Animals of the Savanna building will be closed temporarily as the mother and baby bond, according to the release. Officials did not say whether the new arrival is male or female.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources considers Masai giraffes endangered. As of 2018, about 35,000 mature Masai giraffes remained in the wild, according to the organization’s website.