NORFOLK, Va. — A baby giraffe could not wait for the new year to be born.
The Virginia Zoo welcomed a 159-pound, 5-foot, 9-inch newborn Masai giraffe on Tuesday, the zoo said in a news release on Wednesday. The calf was supposed to be born early in 2022 but apparently had other ideas, zoo officials said.
It is the third calf to be born to 8-year-old Noelle at the Norfolk facility, WVEC-TV reported. It is the 14th calf for the father, 20-year-old Billy, according to the television station.
A neonatal exam performed Wednesday revealed that the calf was a male, the zoo said in its news release.
“Mom and baby are bonding, and the calf is nursing well,” zoo officials said. “He appears strong and is already learning to run.”
Visitors to the zoo can see the newest calf in the night barn near the zoo’s Africa-Okavango boardwalk, according to WVEC.
The male calf is the sixth in the Virginia Zoo’s giraffe herd, according to Ashley Mars, marketing manager for the zoo.
The newborn does not have a name yet, but Mars said there would be a naming contest announced on Facebook soon.
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