The baby giraffe was allowed to explore the herd's exhibit on December 31

Jan 3, 2014 13:47 GMT  ·  By

Just a few days ago, on December 31, a baby female Masai Giraffe born at the San Diego Zoo in California, US on December 22 got to take its first steps outside the confined area that served as its home for about a week and a half.

Keepers say that the baby giraffe was quite delighted to finally be able to explore the rest of the enclosure, and took great pleasure in meeting the rest of the herd.

Despite being very young, the giraffe calf did not in the least seem or act shy. On the contrary, it ran and kicked around the herd's exhibit until it finally got tired.

Interestingly enough, Zoo Borns tells us that, before the baby giraffe was introduced to the rest of the herd, its mom, i.e. Bahati, spent a great deal of time grooming it, presumably to make sure that it would make a good impression.

At birth, the calf stood 6 feet and 1 inch (185.4 centimeters) tall, and tipped the scale at 157 pounds (71 kilograms). By the time it is six months old, it will probably grow to measure 7.5 feet (226 centimeters) in height and weigh an impressive 500 pounds (227 kilograms).