Busch Gardens Tampa Bay welcomed a new baby female reticulated giraffe on Jan. 27.

At 6 foot, 2 inches tall and weighing approximately 176 pounds, the newborn is the calf of father, Jafari, and mother, Cupid. This is Jafari’s second calf and Cupid’s fifth.


This new addition brings the park’s reticulated giraffe population to 19. Exactly one month to the day before this most recent birth, another female in the herd, Tesa, gave birth to Jafari’s first calf, which was also female.

The new mother and baby are currently in an area out of guest view so they can be closely monitored by zoo staff to ensure the baby is nursing and growing properly. The duo will join the other animals on the Serengeti Plain in about three months.