Oct. 25 was a special day at the Dublin Zoo when a tiny (relevant to their size as adults!) male Rothschild Giraffe calf was born at the Dublin Zoo, according to ZooBorns. The five foot tall little guy already weighed about 99 pounds and joins a herd of eight Rothschild Giraffes at the Dublin Zoo's African Savanna exhibit.
"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," said Helen Clarke-Bennet, team leader at the Dublin Zoo. "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."
What distinguishes these beautiful giraffes from the other giraffe sub-species is that they have no patches below their knees; their legs are cream colored, almost like they are wearing cream colored socks.
The Rothschild Giraffe, also known as the Baringo Giraffe, comes from Kenya and Uganda, where the remaining free ones live in protected custody in these countries. They used to also roam in Sudan, but due to widespread poaching, they have become extinct in Sudan. Classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List, the Rothschild Giraffe is the most threatened of the nine sub-species of giraffes.
The future of the spectacular Rothschild Giraffe is uncertain, with only 670 left in the wild, according to Giraffe Research.
