PHOENIX — Of all days to announce the birth of a baby giraffe, the Phoenix Zoo decided April 1 -- commonly known as April Fool's Day -- was the day to do it. There is no joke here.
In a news release, the zoo said the six-foot, 160-pound female Masai giraffe is "healthy" and bonding her with mother, Sunshine, in the giraffe barn, which is not viewable to the public. The two will spend a "few weeks" in the barn before being allowed out onto the Savannah, where the public can see them, the zoo said.
CONTINUED: The Savanna just got a little more sunshine recently when the Masai giraffe family, mom Sunshine and father Miguu, welcomed a new arrival on March 22. Notes from the animal care and vet teams indicate the nearly six-foot-tall, 150-pound baby is a healthy girl! pic.twitter.com/k6uizXjE4E
— Phoenix Zoo (@PhoenixZoo) April 1, 2019
The young giraffe does not have a name yet.
Her birth marks the third giraffe born at the Phoenix Zoo in less than two years. Siku, a female Masai giraffe, was born in September 2017. At the time, she was the first giraffe born at the zoo in 12 years.
In June 2018, Rafiki, a female giraffe, was born. Both Siku and Rafiki can be seen out on the Savannah.
The calf is the second child for Sunshine, a six-year-old Masai giraffe, the zoo said, and the third for Miguu, the zoo's nine-year-old male Masai giraffe. Sunshine was brought to the Phoenix Zoo in 2014 to breed with Miguu as part of the Species Survival Plan, the zoo said in its release.
The Phoenix Zoo said it would post updates about the young calf and when she will be out on the Savannah on its social media accounts.
Earlier this month, the zoo welcomed Boboo (pronounced Ba-boo), a 3 1/2-year-old male African lion, from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Last year, Kitambi, the zoo's eight-year-old male African lion, died from a systemic infection.
