The number of the most endangered Giraffe species has been increased by 1 following the birth of a male calf in Dublin Zoo.
The Rothschild giraffe is one of the most threatened of the nine sub-species of giraffe. Rothschild male giraffes grow to six metres in height and can weigh more than 2,000kg. Fewer than 670 remain in the wild according to the Rothschild Giraffe Project and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
A herd of 8 Rothschild Giraffe live in Dublin Zoo and recently a new addition was born; a male calf. While he was born at the end of October the announcement was just made as the calf made his first public appearance.
Team leader at Dublin Zoo, Helen Clarke-Bennett said: “The calf was born in the giraffe house with the other female members of the herd present. The team watched the birth unfold on our closed circuit cameras.
“The birth took over an hour and we noticed that the herd was very attentive each step of the way. We’re very excited about this addition to the Dublin Zoo herd.”
