Boy Oh Boy! A Baby Giraffe is Born at the Living Desert

The Living Desert announced that its giraffe Tuli gave birth to a male calf on Friday, July 3, said Allen Monroe, president & CEO of The Living Desert. The yet-to-be-named calf weighed in at 150.7 pounds and stands 5-feet-7-inches tall. “It’s always an exciting day when we welcome a new friend to the world here at The Living Desert,” said Monroe. “Helping build the population of endangered species is an important and fulfilling part of our mission.” This is the first baby for mom Tuli, and sixth calf for the father, Hesabu, who both came to The Living Desert from the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Hesabu has been on exhibit at The Living Desert since 2002, while Tuli more recently joined the zoo in 2013. Tuli’s pregnancy was about 15 months, the typical gestational period for a giraffe. The baby will now nurse for nine to 12 months, and begin eating foliage at about four months. The giraffe will double his size in the first year of his life. The baby giraffe has his own spot-like markings and no two giraffe’s have the same pattern, similar to humans having unique fingerprints. The Living Desert is currently home to a herd of six giraffes, four males and two females. According to the Giraffe Conservation Fund (GCF) that helps raise awareness and conservation efforts for giraffes, there are less than 80,000 remaining in the wild.