Welcome Little Long Legs- Baby Giraffe Born At The Toronto Zoo

#LittleLongLegs has arrived 🍼🦒
Meet the newest addition to our Zoo family: a healthy Masai giraffe calf born at 9:00am on Thursday, February 24! Both mom and calf are doing well. The calf stood for the first time within an hour and a half after being born (a typical timeline for a baby giraffe) and has already been observed nursing on the remote cameras that keepers have been using to monitor Mstari. We do not know the gender yet but will find out soon during the calf’s first check-up with our Veterinary team.
This is the second offspring for both mother Mstari, born at the Zoo in 2013, and father Kiko, a nine-year-old male. The pairing of Kiko and Mstari was at the recommendation of the AZA Masai Giraffe Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative breeding program among accredited zoos. Mstari’s first calf, Amani, now 22 months old, is curious about this newest addition. Although she was separated from her mom during the birthing process, she has nose-to-nose access to Mstari and can hear and smell her new sibling. Once Mstari and the new calf have forged a strong bond, the new big sister will be reintroduced.
In December 2018, the conservation status of Masai giraffes was elevated to Endangered by the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN). Fewer than 35,000 Masai giraffes survive in the wild, having experienced more than a 50% decline in the past 30 years. Illegal hunting and habitat loss are their primary threats. The Toronto Zoo is part of the AZA Masai Giraffe Species Survival Plan (SSP) and continues to support field conservation efforts for the species through the Wild Nature Institute’s Masai Giraffe Project.
To celebrate the birth of Mstari’s first calf in May of 2020, the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy launched a campaign to raise money to support the growing giraffe family. The Room to Grow Campaign paid for modifications to the giraffe house to support our growing giraffe family. The campaign was re-launched a year later in May of 2021 when we announced Mstari was pregnant again, and the campaign remains active. Learn more at www.wildlifeconservancy.ca.
Please note The Giraffe House will remain closed to the public at this time, but we will make an announcement when he/she is ready to make their public debut.