Female Masai Giraffe Calf Born at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is currently home to a newborn Masai giraffe calf that stands six feet tall.

In a latest announcement the zoo authorities revealed that the first time mother Jhasmin gave birth  to the 123 pound female calf on Sunday. The unnamed calf is the 47^th giraffe calf born at the zoo since 1955. She is the first calf born to mother Jhasmin and father Travis. The zoo officials are planning a public campaign to name the calf.

"The baby is doing well and Jhasmin is proving to be a very attentive and nurturing parent," said Andi Kornak, the Zoo's Director of Animal and Veterinary Programs. "They will continue to spend bonding time together before the little one is introduced to the rest of the herd and joins them on exhibit."

The first time mother Jhasmin was born at the Zoo in 2005 and her father Travis was born at the San Diego Zoo in 2006 and was moved to Cleveland in 2008. Currently, the Zoo's giraffe herd includes females Jada and Grace.

Giraffes give birth standing up, due to this the newborns get an abrupt introduction to the world by dropping up to 6 feet to the ground. The babies can be 6-feet tall and weight around 100-150 pounds.  They are native to the savannahs of Africa, south of the Sahara Desert.  Masai Giraffes (Giraffe cameloparadalis tippelskirchi) are mainly found in  Kenya and Tanzania, near the Masai Mara National Reserve.

Known to be the tallest mammals, Giraffes can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. Males are capable of touching 18 feet in height.  Their lifespan extends from 15-20 years in the wild and a few years longer in captivity.  They have long, prehensile bluish-purple tongues, which they use to strip the leaves from tree branches in the wild.