Living Desert celebrates birth of baby giraffe

The Living Desert is celebrating the birth of a baby giraffe.

The Zoo’s female giraffe, Dadisi, gave birth to a male calf last Wednesday.

The little guy doesn’t yet have a name, but weighed in a 130 lbs, and stands 5 feet 9 inches in tall.

Allen Monroe, President & CEO of the Living Desert said, “While we are always excited to announce the birth of new babies here at The Living Desert, it is especially wonderful to welcome our first baby of 2016, a beautiful giraffe calf.”

He’s expected to go on display on Friday.

This is the sixth baby for Dadisi, who’s from the Oakland Zoo and seventh calf for the father, Hesabu who came to the Living Desert from the San Diego Wild Animal Park in 2002.

Monroe said both mother and baby are doing well.

Both Dadisi and Hesabu were sent to the zoo for breeding, Monroe said, based on Species Survival Plan recommendations.

The additional births have helped build the species’ population grow.

Wild giraffe populations have fallen by 60% over the past 15 years to less than 80,000 animals.

Monroe says the baby will now nurse for up to 12 months, and begin eating foliage at about four months.