Baby giraffe born at Rio Grande Zoo - UPDATE

June 12, 11:56 AMAlbuquerque Travel ExaminerNeala Schwartzberg

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  Courtesy of Albuquerque Zoo

There's a new baby at the Rio Grande Zoo

On May 21, a male giraffe was born to parents Kashka and Buchaneer. According to Lynn Tupa, Curator of Mammals, his name is Mosi, which means first born in Swahili. The new baby was the first child produced by the father -- Buchaneer.

The ABQ BioPark welcomed a newborn reticulated giraffe calf on at 4:55pm.

Dozens of visitors witnessed the birth and the newborn’s first steps about 30 minutes later. Standing and walking are important first milestones for calves. Giraffes are native to the savanna (grasslands) of Africa, where even newborns must be able to elude hungry predators.

A newborn giraffe is between five and six feet tall--just tall enough to nurse from its mother. Calves weigh between 120-150 pounds at birth.

Both mother and baby are healthy and doing fine and are back with the regular population.

There's a baby born about once every two years as part of their breeding program.

If you missed the birth, there's a pregnant zebra about to have a baby "any day" says Tupa.

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