The Santa Barbara Zoo’s Masai giraffe Adia has given birth to her first calf, and the two are currently bonding behind the scenes in the giraffe barn. Both Adia and the calf appear healthy and are doing well.
The calf was born at 12:26 p.m. March 27, after about 3 1/2 hours of active labor. The sex, height, weight and name of the calf, will be determined at the calf’s first medical examination, scheduled to take place March 28.
“This birth is special in so many ways,” said Dr. Julie Barnes, the zoo’s vice president of Animal Care and Health. “It’s always a joy to see a new life begin, but we think it’s especially meaningful right now as a beacon of hope and good news during these challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Masai giraffes are listed as endangered due to the significant decline of this species in the wild in recent decades,” she said.
“The population under human care here in the U.S. is relatively small, and the Species Survival Plan manages the population to ensure that genetic diversity is maintained so that the population thrives, and each giraffe born at the zoo is very important to this population and conservation of this species,” she said.
The zoo’s giraffe keepers who know Adia best will determine when she and her calf are ready to leave the giraffe barn. Until then, Adia and the calf will spend time bonding. The public is encouraged to tune into the zoo’s social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) for photos and updates.
This is the first baby for mother Adia, age 5, and eighth for the father Michael. Michael is the most genetically important male Masai giraffe in North America, as he is only related to his offspring. He was brought to the Santa Barbara Zoo from Canada in December 2011 and has since sired eight calves.
Five of the calves have moved to other accredited zoos as part of a cooperative breeding program among accredited members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
The Santa Barbara Zoo’s Masai giraffe herd now numbers five with the addition of the new calf: Michael, Adia, Audrey, and her calf Amirah. (Amirah was scheduled to depart for the Sacramento Zoo as part of the AZA breeding program, but her departure was delayed for weather and coronavirus concerns).
Giraffe calves sired by Michael include Dane, now at Fresno Chaffee Zoo, 2013; Sunshine, now at Cameron Park Zoo, Waco, Texas, 2013; Buttercup, now at Oregon Zoo, 2014; Asha, deceased at Toledo Zoo following an accident, 2015; Parker, now at Seneca Park Zoo, Rochester, NY, 2016; Chad, now at Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, 2016; and Amirah, at Santa Barbara Zoo, 2018.
The giraffes at the Santa Barbara Zoo are among more than 120 Masai giraffes that live at 28 North American zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The public can also help the zoo welcome the calf by becoming a Foster Feeder sponsor of the giraffe herd. A donation of $50 or more helps with the cost of feeding the growing giraffe family.
New giraffe Foster Feeders will receive a digital certificate with a baby photo of the calf, a Masai giraffe fact sheet, and recognition on the zoo’s Foster Feeder board. For information or to become a Foster Feeder, visit https://sbzoo.pivvit.com/special-masai-giraffe.
Last year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced Masai giraffes are endangered. There are an estimated 37,000 Masai giraffes in Kenya and Tanzania, but a more thorough census is required. They are at risk due to poaching and habitat loss and degradation.
Giraffes are the tallest land mammal, and the Masai is the largest subspecies, growing up to 17 feet tall and weighing 2,700 pounds.
For more about the Santa Barbara Zoo, visit, www.sbzoo.org.