African Lion Safari welcomes baby giraffe

"The photo above is not of the African Lion Safari baby giraffe, in the story below. The story had no picture so I have used a different one for understanding of what a Rothschild giraffe is. The giraffe above is a "Raising Daisy Rothschild" giraffe, in front of the manor. There are 9 subspecies of giraffe besides the Rothschild, although some expert disagree. The other's that I am aware of are the Masai, Reticulated, Thornicorts, Kordofan, Angolan, Southern, and all species can and will interbreed. Does anyone( are you listening RJR and Jim Stockley) have any information on the other subspecies?

African Lion Safari got a tall order last month: A newborn giraffe named Johanna. And now the calf is on display for the public to see.

“Johanna began spending time outside earlier this week,” African Lion Safari spokesman Lori Latter said. “She is in an area where she can see the wildebeest, zebras and cars, without coming in contact with them just yet.

“She knows she’s a giraffe and now she’s learning about her surroundings, like any other newborn would.”

Johanna, a rare Rothschild giraffe, was born on Aug. 18 to parents Jaffa and Jimmy.

After 15-month gestation period, five-year-old Jaffa’s labour lasted a mere four hours.

“The birth went smoothly,” game farm superintendent Serge Lussier said. “Dedicated giraffe handlers had been keeping a 24-hour vigil for weeks in anticipation of this birth.”

Johanna weighed in at 59 kilos and stood 1.6-metres tall at birth. She was walking within hours.

“Giraffes are a curious bunch, and Johanna is no different,” Latter said. “She is exploring her environment and in a few weeks, when she’s ready, she’ll be ready to interact with the public.”

Just last month, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature declared the Rothschild giraffe as endangered. There are fewer than 670 Rothschild giraffe remaining in the wild today.

The Cambridge game reserve has the largest Rothschild giraffe population in Canada, boasting 15 of the exotic animals.

Courtesy of Paul McCarthy