WACO, Texas — The Cameron Park Zoo in Waco announced the birth of a female Masai giraffe on Monday.
The calf was born on site at around 5 a.m. last Friday. She is six feet and seven inches tall, and weighs 156 pounds.
"The birth of this calf is important to her species, as the Masai giraffes are currently endangered, and [she] is the second calf born to this pair at Cameron Park Zoo," the Cameron Park Zoo said in a Facebook post.
The global authority on the conservation status of wild animals and plants, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), lists Masai giraffes as endangered, primarily due to poaching and habitat fragmentation.
"This new calf’s birth was based on a SSP (Species Survival Plan) breeding recommendation, which was given to help maintain a genetically diverse and self-sustaining population of a particular species under professional care."
The calf's mother, Penelope, was born in May 2013 and came to the Cameron Park Zoo from the San Diego Zoo. Her father, Dane, was born in April 2013 and came from the Santa Barbara Zoo.
The Cameron Park Zoological & Botanical Society is holding a naming contest for the new calf starting Tuesday, going through July 9. Each participant will pay five dollars per vote to help choose a name.
The set name choices are Adelaide (meaning kind/noble), Kalani (meaning royal/majesty), Kira (meaning throne), and Zuri (meaning beautiful).
The funds raised through the naming content will go to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
To vote in the naming contest, click here.
For more information about the Cameron Park Zoo and the Zoological Botanical Society, click here.
