Contact: Jason Jacobs
323/644-4273

Baby Giraffe to Make Debut at the Los Angeles Zoo
Hand-raised youngster to receive 1 ½ quarts of milk for breakfast

WHAT: Breakfast for a baby giraffe being hand-raised in the Zoo Nursery

WHEN: 9am, Friday, February 29, 2008

WHERE: Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, 5333 Zoo Drive, Griffith Park

FACTS: Giraffes can grow up to 18 feet tall, making them the tallest land  mammal. Giiraffes have a 15 month gestation period.

On February 6th, the Los Angeles Zoo welcomed the birth of the second Masai giraffe to be born at the Zoo within three months. The female giraffe will make her public debut at a media event on Friday, February 29th at 9:00am, in the Los Angeles Zoo’s Nursery where she is being hand-reared by Zoo staff. The young female will be fed a 1 ½ quart of milk for the media.

The newborn’s mother, Asali, has been a disinterested mother, not nursing her calves sufficiently. After her first baby, all of her young have been hand-raised in the Children’s Zoo Nursery. Asali’s latest offspring, born six-feet-three-inches tall and 156 pounds, currently receives nine quarts of whole cow’s milk per day. The unnamed youngster has already grown nearly five inches and has gained nearly forty pounds. 

Within 3 months the giraffe calf will move into the main exhibit that is currently home to her father-Artimus and mother-Asali, plus another adult female and her youngster Harriet, born in November. Harriet, was named by Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association donor Harvey Bookstein in honor of his wife Harriet Bookstein, who loves giraffes.  

The debut of the baby giraffe falls on LEAP DAY. The Zoo will be celebrating LEAP DAY by highlighting amphibians. Zoo visitors can participate in special education stations to learn about frog life cycles, metamorphosis, what a frog needs for a healthy home and most importantly, how we can be of help!

Please RSVP if you plan on attending, park in the Zoo’s main lot and proceed to ticket booth #11, the Children’s Zoo is within walking distance of the main entrance.

###

The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is located in Griffith Park at the junction of the Ventura (134) and Golden State (5) freeways. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 2 to 12. The Zoo is open from 10am to 5pm daily. For general information, call 323/644-4200.