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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo welcomes 6-foot-tall baby giraffe

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo baby giraffe
Posted at 10:00 AM, Jul 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-08 12:00:34-04

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A giraffe herd at a Colorado Springs zoo has welcomed its 16th member following the birth of a calf.

The 10-year-old reticulated giraffe named Msitu gave birth Saturday at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

The zoo says the female calf was about 6 feet tall at birth and weighed more than 150 pounds.

Zoo officials say the mother and calf appear to be doing well.

The zoo waits 30 days before naming babies.

Pregnancies for reticulated giraffes can last up to 15 months.

The calf is Msitu's third. She gave birth to Emy in 2013 and to Rae in 2017.

Emy lives at a zoo in Peoria, Illinois. Rae remains with the Colorado Springs herd.