Long-awaited Christmas gift! UK zoo is celebrating birth of giraffe

A UK zoo is celebrating the birth of an endangered male giraffe, marking a significant boost for international conservation efforts aimed at protecting the species. 

Whipsnade Zoo welcomed the giraffe calf just four weeks after the birth of another. 

He was born to mother Ijuma after a 15-month gestation period, at 11.30am on Sunday December 21.

Ijuma gave birth just one month after fellow mum, Luna, gave birth to Leoni. 

The calf is yet to be named. But the young animal is expected to start venturing outside in the coming days, after spending its first week inside with its mother. 

The baby boy is an important addition to the international conservation breeding programme for their species.

Mark Holden, section manager of large hoofstock at Whipsnade Zoo, said: 'It really is the best gift having two giraffes at Whipsnade Zoo this December.

'We monitored Ijuma throughout her labour and the birth, and thankfully all went well for her, and her new boy appears happy and healthy.

'It's been comical watching him get used to his gangly legs, as he’s already standing at six feet tall. His half-sister, Leoni, wasn’t quite sure what to make of the new arrival, but we’re sure she won’t mind sharing the spotlight this festive season.'

The latest newborn brings the conservation zoo’s giraffe herd to six, with the baby boy also joining teenage siblings Myra and Timba, who were both born in the summer of 2024.

Mr Holden added: 'With conservation zoos like Whipsnade helping to create a genetically viable insurance population of giraffes, all four calves are a poignant reminder of the important legacy left by dad.'

After the birth of Leoni a few weeks prior, Connor Corrigan, a team leader of large hoofstock at Whipsnade Zoo, said staff described the experience as special and the birth went smoothly in a warm, well-prepared indoor space.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies giraffes overall as 'vulnerable' on its red List of threatened species.

The reticulated giraffe, previously believed to be a subspecies, is now listed as 'endangered', meaning it faces a high risk of extinction.

According to Whipsnade Zoo, this decline is caused by illegal poaching, loss of habitat, and human–wildlife conflict in parts of Africa.

Recent research has shown that the reticulated giraffe is not a subspecies after all, but one of four distinct giraffe species.

The other species are the northern giraffe, the Masai giraffe, and the southern giraffe.