North Dakota Zoo Celebrates Birth of ‘Wobbly’ Baby Giraffe — Here’s Just How Much He ‘Tipped the Scales’

A North Dakota zoo is celebrating a special delivery!

The Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot welcomed a baby giraffe on Sunday, Nov. 2. According to a press release from the zoo, the male calf made his arrival at 10 p.m. local time inside the “state-of-the-art Giraffe Barn.”

“This long-legged bundle of joy tipped the scales at 145 pounds and is already stealing hearts with his wobbly charm,” the zoo said. “Proud parents Kianga (age 25) and Kioni (age 4) are doing wonderfully.”

The new calf, who has not yet been named, is already making strides, “stretching his neck toward the spotlight.”

This marks mom Kianga’s 11th calf to be born at the zoo and Kioni’s first. A sweet video shared by the zoo on Facebook shows the proud mom licking her baby.

The pair will spend some time bonding privately in the Giraffe Building before zoo visitors will have an opportunity to see them in action in the African Plains Building. The zoo offers daily giraffe feedings at 2 p.m. for guests, with the $5 per person cost going toward conservation programs that help protect giraffes and other endangered species.

Giraffes are experiencing a “silent extinction,” per the zoo’s release. They are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with populations declining due to poaching, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.

Fewer than 117,000 giraffes remain in the wild. which is why the Roosevelt Park Zoo says they are “head over hooves with excitement” about the male calf’s birth.

“This calf’s arrival is a perfect example of what happens when exceptional care and conservation come together,” Dr. Logan Wood, the zoo director, said in a statement. “We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome this calf to our Roosevelt Park Zoo family. Our giraffe family has always been a favorite among guests.”

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Chelsea Mihalick, the zoo curator, added: “Strong animal welfare practices create the foundation for new life — when animals feel safe, healthy, and cared for, they thrive, and new generations can begin in comfort and security.”

According to the zoo, baby giraffes — which gestate for about 15 months — are already 6 feet tall when they are born. They can grow up to 3 centimeters per day in their first week. They are born with born with “tiny ‘ossicones,’ soft, cartilaginous nubs on their heads that later harden into the giraffe’s signature horns.”