Rare, Endangered Giraffe Born At Greenwich Conservation Center
GREENWICH, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A rare, nearly 6-foot-tall giraffe listed as an endangered subspecies has been born in a Connecticut conservation center.
She was born Friday at the Leo Zoological Conservation Center in Greenwich. Within 30 minutes of being born, the center said the calf was standing and nursing.
Marcella Leone, founder and director of the center, said the young animal is curious and is already approaching humans in its first days of life.
When fully grown, the newborn will mingle with a group of five giraffes, which includes two pregnant giraffes, and could reach 18 feet in height.
Watch the baby giraffe take her first steps:
New baby and mom, named Petal, are rare Rothschild giraffes. They were named and described by Lord Walter Rothschild, a British zoologist, after an expedition to East Africa in the early 1900s.
According to the center, there are fewer than 670 Rothschild giraffes left in the wild and are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
The baby giraffe is the first calf born at the center.
For more information, visit leozoo.org.
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