Small but tall: Male giraffe born at Utah zoo

Associated Press

Hogle Zoo has announced the birth of a baby giraffe.

The zoo says the male was born on Thursday to first-time mother Kipenzi and father Riley; both are 6 years old.

During its first week of life the baby, still unnamed, will grow nearly one inch per day. Baby giraffes weigh about 110 pounds and can run before they are a day old.

Nancy Carpenter, Hogle Zoo associate director of animal health, says the delivery went well and the baby giraffe was working to stand shortly after birth.

Giraffes give birth after a gestation period of 14 to 15 months. Adult males are usually about 17 feet tall and weigh as much as 3,000 pounds. Their necks can measure 6½ feet long.

Kipenzi, a first time mother at the Hogle Zoo, keeps her day-old baby boy, close to her as they check out their outdoor enclosure at the zoo in Salt Lake City on Friday. (Steve Griffin/The Salt Lake Tribune)

Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City welcomed its newest baby, a male giraffe. (Hogle Zoo)

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