The big baby boy was born to parents Sharon and Charlie on Monday, February 9, 2009, at approximately 8:45am. It did not take him long to make his way to all four feet; around 10:30am he was standing, and shortly after he began to nurse. The calf has bonded well with his mother, and she is doing an excellent job caring for him.

“We have been waiting on this guy for quite some time,” said John Davis, curator of mammals at Riverbanks. “Giraffe gestation lasts between 14 and 15 months. We first determined that Sharon was expecting in January 2008, and we are glad to finally be able to share this new arrival with the community.”

It has been nearly nine years since there has been a calf in the giraffe herd at Riverbanks. The calf is the first offspring for both Sharon and Charlie. Sharon was born in December of 1999, and Charlie was born in December of 2003. Both parents came to Riverbanks from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, KS, in November of 2005.

“The birth of the calf is an important contribution to the captive population of reticulated giraffe,” said Davis. “Since Sharon and Charlie have not previously bred, the introduction of their genes helps keep the population strong and diverse.”

Riverbanks participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Population Management Plan (PMP) for reticulated giraffe. A PMP is a cooperative population management and conservation program for selected species in North American zoos and aquariums that are accredited by the AZA. Each PMP manages the breeding of a species in order to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable.

The calf will nurse for about one year and will remain at Riverbanks for two to three years before being placed at another zoo based on recommendations from the PMP.

The keepers in the hoof stock division at Riverbanks have named the calf Lewis.

Please Note: The weather in February can be a bit unpredictable, so be sure to check the temperature before you plan a visit to see the baby. The weather should be favorable and the temperature must be above 45 degrees before the giraffe can have access to the exhibit.