St. Paul's Como Zoo welcomes new baby giraffe

St. Paul’s Como Zoo welcomed a new baby giraffe this week — and it’ll likely be on view to the public in the next few weeks.

The yet-to-be-named calf was born at 8:09 p.m. Monday and was up and standing by its mom, Zinnia, by 8:50 p.m. that night, zoo officials said.

Zookeepers don’t know its gender, and haven’t weighed or measured it yet “as Como’s animal care team is allowing Zinnia and baby time to bond behind-the-scenes,” the zoo reported.

It’s the third calf born to Zinnia, who’s 7 years old. It joins a giraffe herd at Como that also includes Clover, a female, and Skeeter, a male.

Como officials said the birth “is the result of a recommendation from the Species Survival Plan (SSP), coordinated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). SSPs provide breeding recommendations to maximize genetic diversity, with the goal of ensuring the long-term survival of the AZA population and the health of individual animals.”

The zoo said giraffes, which are native to the dry savannas and open woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa, can grow up to 18 feet tall. Their spots are unique to each individual animal.

Earlier this year, the matriarch of the Como Zoo giraffe herd — Daisy — died at the age of 23.