Cheyenne Mountain Zoo to welcome a new baby giraffe in the coming weeks
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is expecting a new baby, a giraffe calf.
Wednesday, the CMZoo shared an ultrasound video asking fans to guess who at the Zoo would be expecting a baby.
Thursday, the zoo confirmed a reticulated giraffe named Bailey is expecting. According to the zoo, this will be Bailey's second calf and the event to be sired by dad Khalid.
The zoo says the giraffe's gestation can last between 14 and 16 months. The new calf is expected to be born on Oct. 19 but could come as early as Sept. 19 or as late as Nov. 19.
The new baby will be the seventh member of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's reticulated giraffe herd. The CMZoo's breeding program began in 1954 and has welcomed more than 200 calves since its inception.
The zoo explained that because Bailey's window to give birth starts on Sept. 19, she will start spending the night in a nursery where it's safer and calmer for her to go into labor while the zoo is closed at night. Don't worry though, she won't be far from the herd.
The community can also watch her and the rest of the herd through the CMZoo's live giraffe cams, which are available daily from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. People can watch those cams by clicking here or on YouTube.
The zoo is also inviting giraffe lovers worldwide to join in a 24-hour per-day baby watch beginning on Monday, Sept. 19. The special livestream will broadcast from Bailey's overnight stall. There, viewers will be able to watch the labor and birth live by clicking here or on YouTube.
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo recently launched an International Center for the Care and Conservation of Giraffe and established a first-of-its-kind giraffe training, knowledge-sharing, and giraffe emergency response program. According to the zoo, that program will serve as a resource to benefit all giraffes in human care.
