The Milwaukee County Zoo announced the birth of a reticulated giraffe which occurred the morning of September 16. 

The last giraffe birth at the Zoo was in 2003.

The male giraffe calf was born to first-time mom Ziggy, and first-time dad, Bahatika.  On September 17, veterinarians completed the calf’s first exam, and recorded a weight of 157-pounds, and a height of 5-feet 9-inches tall.  

Zookeepers have been monitoring mother and baby; Ziggy has been very attentive to the calf which is nursing regularly.

Ziggy is 5 years-old, and arrived at the Milwaukee County Zoo in 2013 from Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  Bahatika is 10 years old, and arrived here in 2006 from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado.