Pretoria Zoo welcomes second southern baby giraffe

Little Gio getting hugs from mom Momosa. Picture: Supplied

Little Gio getting hugs from mom Momosa. Picture: Supplied

Published Apr 25, 2022

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Pretoria - The National Zoological Garden, Pretoria Zoo, has welcomed its second southern giraffe calf in 19 months.

Baby Gio, was born on April 11 to mom Momosa, and both are in great health. Gio’s older brother, Tiego, had to be hand-reared because Momosa was not feeding him as she was a first-time mom.

But this time around, Momosa has accepted Gio and the baby is suckling well, said Marcel Singh, deputy director of communication at the zoo.

Tiego was born in September 2020 and is in the camp with Momosa, along with dad Bonita and little Gio.

The sex of the little calf is yet to be determined.

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, giraffe as a species is listed as vulnerable on the the organisation’s Red List of Threatened Species.

Southern giraffe are found in the savannahs and woodlands of northern South Africa, Angola, southern Botswana, southern Zimbabwe, Zambia and south-western Mozambique.

Pretoria News