Baby Giraffe Quickly On His Feet

The National Zoo has a new 127-pound baby.

The zoo’s 15-year-old Masai giraffe, Griff, gave birth Sunday afternoon to a boy calf. The birth, which occurred with Griff standing and the baby dropping 6 feet to the ground, was witnessed by dozens of tourists and sightseers.

A few minutes later the baby was on his feet walking. “The giraffe is just a miniature adult,” said zoo spokesman Mike Morgan.

Morgan said the calf is “very active” and is already nursing and following his mother around.

Veterinarians said the still-unnamed baby is healthy and should grow to between 17 feet and 18 feet tall and weigh 4,000 pounds.

The baby will live with his mother, father Lionel and 2-year-old sister Amber.

He is the fifth calf born at the National Zoo to Griff. The other three are now at other locations.