25 January 2012
Being the same size as an All Black lock forward means Auckland Zoo's latest arrival is no ordinary newborn.
The female giraffe, who doesn't yet have a name, was born just before 7pm last Monday and is the fourth calf produced by her mother Rukiya, 10, and father Zabulu, 13.
Rukiya's labour lasted for about three hours and the 1.8 metre-tall calf was up and walking around within 30 minutes.
Mother and child are doing well and have spent the last week in isolation so they have a chance to bond, Pridelands team leader Nat Sullivan says.
"In the wild her mum would usually be hiding her in long grass at the moment, so we're trying to simulate the wild as much as possible."
The calf is the 30th to have been born at the zoo but is the first girl Rukiya has given birth to.
This makes her quite valuable for the zoo's breeding programme, Ms Sullivan says.
The programme involves zoos from across New Zealand and Australia and the calf will be moving to one of them within the next 18 months as there are already three girls in her herd.
"We have to do it before she gets too big to transport," Ms Sullivan says. "That's the logistical side to working with giraffes."
She says the breeding programme is important because two out of nine giraffe subspecies are listed as endangered.
Rukiya and her calf will be gradually integrated into the Pridelands section of the zoo, along with the zebra and ostrichs, over the next few weeks.
Zabulu and Rukiya's other two calves, Jelani and Forrest, are taking part in the breeding programme in Australia. Their first calf died while very young.
