Brookfield Zoo welcomes giraffe calf

Brookfield Zoo has a new giraffe calf.

The female baby was born Saturday morning to Arnieta, a 16-year-old giraffe who became pregnant in July 2022, according to a news release from the Chicago Zoological Society.

In anticipation of the calf's birth, Arnieta was secluded from the rest of her herd leading up to her labor, the news release said.

The zoological society said the mother and baby have been reunited with their herd but will not be introduced to the public until approximately September in order to allow for maternal bonding.

The newborn the second offspring of Arnieta, who gave birth to a male calf in 2012, and the first calf sired by 7-year-old Ato, according to the news release.

This calf is the 60th born at the Brookfield Zoo since it opened in 1934. Only about 117,000 giraffes remain in the wild due to issues such as poaching and civil unrest, according to the news release.