The animals at Fresno Chaffee Zoo have a new addition —a weeks-old Masai giraffe

The herd of giraffes at Fresno Chaffee Zoo has a new addition.

The zoo announced that one of its Masai giraffes gave birth to a male calf last month.

The baby has been closely monitored by the animal care team following complications that necessitated bottle feeding by staff. But in a news release Friday, the zoo said it “is happy to announce that he is doing great.”

Currently, the calf remains behind the scenes and has not been seen by the public, though the zoo did share photos on Friday and said updates on the animal will be posted on its social media.

Guests can get eye-to-eye with the giraffe at the zoo’s giraffe feeding platform, Twiga Terrace, located in the zoo’s African Adventure savanna.

The calf’s mother, Siku, is one of four Masai giraffes at the zoo, along with Betty Lou, Fenny and Kiden. There are also two reticulated giraffes: Jabari and Baba.

According to the zoo, giraffe populations have declined drastically over the past three decades and accredited zoos are mobilizing resources to increase conservation awareness and field initiatives for the animals.

Kingdoms of Asia now open

The announcement comes days after the zoo opened its Kingdoms of Asia exhibit.

The immersive exhibit is the zoo’s first major project since opening its African Adventure exhibit in 2015 and brings back some popular animals like Malayan tigers, a Sloth bear and a komodo dragon.

This story was originally published June 9, 2023 at 12:18 PM.