The first-time parents are Kipenzi, 6-year-old female, and Riley, a 6-year-old male.

Kipenzi went into labor just before noon Thursday. By about 12:30 p.m., she had successfully delivered her first baby. Less than an hour later, the baby giraffe was standing for the first time.

“The delivery went very well,” said Nancy Carpenter, associate director for animal health. “It took about an hour and a half from start to finish. Shortly after birth, the giraffe was working to stand, and it already seems that Kipenzi is a good mom who is bonding well with her baby.”

Giraffes have no specific breeding season and give birth after a gestation of about 14 months to 15 months.

According to Holly Braithwaite, zoo spokeswoman, Kipenzi soon took her new baby outdoors in the yard, which she shares with another female giraffe.

Right now, the baby seems small next to the full-sized giraffes, but during its first week of life will grow nearly 1 inch per day. Giraffes also can also run after they are just several hours old, to protect them from predators.

Adult males usually reach about 17 feet tall, weighing as much as 3,000 pounds, with necks that can measure 61/2 feet long. The pattern of spots on every giraffe is unique and is used to tell one from another. Hogle Zoo now has five giraffes.

Braithwaite said the odds are pretty good that most zoo patrons will be able to see the newborn. However, the baby animal can only be seen when he is outside — his inside quarters are currently private. She said as long as there are no problems with the mother being too protective against the many on-lookers, the current public viewing option will continue.

It is yet to be determined if the new giraffe, who is being nursed by his mother, will remain at Hogle Zoo. A giraffe born in November 2007 ended up at another zoo. A name for the new giraffe is also up in the air.

Braithwaite said the cutest glimpse she had of the new giraffe was while he was sleeping standing up. Even though all giraffes sleep that way, she said the baby looked really cool.

Hogle Zoo already has a baby snow leopard on display. Born in May, the baby snow leopard made its first public appearance in mid-July.  Also, 7,900-pound Christie, an African elephant, is expected to deliver a baby in August.

So there is a lot of excitement going on at the zoo this summer. Check it out.

Enjoy,

DoSLC

Dari is “115″ in estimated, equivalent “human” years, based on translating the average African elephants in captivity lifespans to people terms.

Born in 1960, the age of 49 may not seem very old, but it is for African elephants in zoos.

“Forty-nine is the oldest in any North American accredited zoo,” Steve Feldman, spokesman for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in Silver Spring, Md, confirmed for the Deseret News Thursday.

He said the average lifespan of African elephants in zoos is just 33 years, though there is a limited database. That’s because an elephant has to die before it calculates into the lifespan database for African elephants.
 
“Elephants are iconic,” Feldman said. “They are a vital part of our culture today, permeate our politics and are enduringly popular.”

He also said they are vital to today’s critical conservation mission for all the world’s endangered animals.
Later this summer, the zoo’s other African elephant, Christie, age 22, will give birth, either in July or August.

Click here for more on Christie.

For more information, go to: www.hoglezoo.org.

But sometime during July or August, Christie will deliver her first baby, probably weighing 180 pounds to 250 pounds — the first elephant to be born at Hogle Zoo in more than 80 years. Princess Alice gave birth to the first Utah elephant when the zoo was at Liberty Park back in 1918.
The process of naming the coming new baby hasn’t been discussed yet, and zoo staff won’t know the gender of the elephant until it is born. Ultrasounds have been used on Christie, but they can only show a portion of the baby and gender is very hard to see in elephants anyway.

If the new baby is a female, it will likely remain at Hogle Zoo with its mother. That’s because elephants tend to remain with their mothers for life, while males eventually go out on their own.

The zoo’s other elephant is HyDari, a 49-year-old female who is currently the oldest elephant in North America.

Check out our other post to see  a video HyDari celebrate her 48th birthday last year.

DoSLC

The Hogle Zoo is a zoo located in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the state’s largest zoo, containing a variety of animals from different ecosystems. The zoo lies at the mouth of Emigration Canyon across from “This Is The Place” Heritage Park. 

Hogle Zoo originally started out in Liberty Park, which is located between 500 and 700 East, and 900 and 1300 South in Salt Lake City. The original exhibits consisted of deer, monkeys, an elephant, and various North American birds and mammals.

It officially became the Hogle Zoo in the mouth of Emigration Canyon on August 1, 1931 after Mr. and Mrs. James A. Hogle donated a sizeable amount of land. The Hogle Zoo is currently owned by the city of Salt Lake City. It is supported through tax dollars and private donations raised by The Utah Zoological Association.

With an excellent staff and educational programs, this mid size zoo remains a favorite with kids. The Hogle Zoo plays home to over 200 species.                   

In 2007 the zoo brought in a new exhibit at Hogle Zoo called the “Ghost of the Bayou”.  It has attracted large crowds and features a very rare white alligator.

Outstanding exhibits include Elephant Encounter exhibit, the Primate Forest and The African Savannah.

On June 14th, of this year HyDari, the oldest Elephant in the zoo will turn 49.

 You can watch a short video of her 48th Birthday celebration in the video below.

The zoo remains open all year. Children two years and under are admitted free.

Roaring Tiger at Hogle Zoo