14 DAY TRIAL // Just a few days ago, a giraffe living in captivity at Belfast Zoo in the UK delivered an adorable calf. The baby giraffe was born on September 1, and its caretakers say that it is healthy and active.
According to Zoo Borns, the calf, a photo of which is available next to this article, was born to mom Neja and dad Finn. Before arriving into this world, it spent as much as 15 months growing inside its mother's womb.
Presently, caretakers at Belfast Zoo cannot say for sure if the baby giraffe is a boy or a girl. This is because they have not yet been able to get close enough to it to thoroughly examine it.
“Since the birth, we have been giving the pair time to bond. For that reason, we have not yet had the opportunity to find out what gender the latest arrival is,” keeper Alyn Cairns said in a statement.
Despite not knowing whether the calf is male or female, caretakers have already come up with two name options: Ballyrory if it is a boy, and Ballymena if it is a girl.
“As we are extremely proud of being the only zoo in Northern Ireland, it is a tradition that we name our giraffe calves after towns and villages in Northern Ireland and Ireland which begin with ‘Bally,’” Alyn Cairns explained these monikers.
Presently, the baby giraffe is looked after by its mom. It spends most of its time sleeping and nursing, and every once in a while, it goes for a run around its enclosure.