BROOKFIELD, Ill. — Brookfield Zoo has welcomed a new addition to their animal family.
Arnieta, a 16-year-old giraffe, gave birth to a female calf early Saturday morning after nearly a 15-month wait.
The baby is approximately six-feet-tall and weighs close to 130 pounds. Both Arnieta and her calf are expected to make their public debut in early September.
Shortly after birth, the calf stood up and began nursing from her mother.
“We are so excited to welcome this new addition and look forward to our guests coming out to see her,” said Joan Daniels, senior director of hooved mammal care and conservation for the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo.
This is Arnieta’s second calf, previously giving birth to a male in 2012. According to the zoo, the female calf is the 60th giraffe born at Brookfield since 1940.
