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There’s A New Long-Legged Bundle Of Joy At The Dallas Zoo

Dallas Zoo
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A baby giraffe was born on April 25 at the Dallas Zoo.

Update, May 4: The Dallas Zoo has named its new baby giraffe, Witten, after retiring Dallas Cowboys tight end, Jason Witten

The male giraffe, standing at 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 130 pounds, was born on April 25 at the Dallas Zoo. It’s the second baby for mom Chrystal, who gave birth to her first calf, Kopano, in 2014. 

Unlike the labor with Kopano, 9-year-old Chrystal delivered her second calf around 11 p.m. without any intervention from staff, the zoo said. But a group of keepers and the zoo’s on-call veterinarian were there to monitor the two-and-a-half-hour labor.

In a blog post Monday, the zoo describes the mother and baby’s first moments together:

“After the baby dropped onto the soft sand, Chrystal immediately began cleaning its face, allowing the baby to take deep breaths. Once the calf sat up, Chrystal gently encouraged baby to stand. Following a few wobbly attempts on its new legs, the calf stood up only 20 minutes after birth. Shortly after, the calf got the hang of walking, and then nursed just 45 minutes after birth.”

“Chrystal showed us once again that she’s a very attentive mother,” said Allison Dean, assistant supervisor of giraffes. “She’s been busy cleaning, nuzzling, and nursing her new little one who spends a lot of time eating and even more time napping. It’s hard being that cute.”

Chrystal and her baby are bonding privately, and within the next few weeks, the baby will be introduced to the public in the giraffe feeding yard.