Dallas Zoo Giraffe Gives Birth to Not-so-little Bundle of Joy

The Dallas Zoo has welcomed a new giraffe calf to its herd, a 5-9 leggy baby born in time for Mother's Day. The calf, whose sex has not been revealed, was born April 25 to second-time mom Chrystal, the zoo announced Monday. When zoo staff spotted what looked like hooves emerging, keepeers and the on-call vet made their way to the zoo.Chrystal gave birth to the calf about 11 p.m. after a two-and-a-half hour delivery — slightly longer than the average 1 to 2 hour — and did so without any vet intervention. Zoo staff helped her deliver Kopano in 2014 after a long labor. The 130-pound calf quickly got a hang of its long wobbly legs and was standing about 20 minutes after birth and nursing after about 45 minutes. "Chrystal showed us once again that she's a very attentive mother," Allison Dean, assistant supervisor of giraffes said in a written statement. "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."   Continue reading...