Six hours old and she's already 6ft tall
SIX feet tall and six hours old — a new arrival has wowed visitors to Paignton Zoo.
Another baby giraffe was born this week and is pictured here at just six hours old after her birth at 6am on Tuesday.
The youngster was born in the herd, which is a first for the zoo, and meant within hours she was already up and with her family outdoors.
Keeping mother and baby with the herd means that the animals can mix and bond freely and the keepers can still give feeds when necessary.
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A watchful eye is being kept on the youngster and special care has also been given by keepers.
This included a feed from a bottle of colostrum, a form of milk which contains antibodies to protect the newborn against disease, as well as being lower in fat and higher in protein than ordinary milk.
The baby, which is thought to be a girl, weighed in at 49 kilos and takes the total number of giraffes at Paignton to six.
The last baby Valentino was born on Valentine's Day but had to be hand reared by keepers after being rejected by his mother.
The latest calf, who has not yet been named, was born to mother Sangha and father Yoda.
Neil Bemment, curator of mammals, said: "This is the first time we have had the mother give birth in the herd — it means that the youngster is out and about within hours of being born."
Father Yoda came from Givskud Zoo, Denmark, where he was born on November 14, 2004. He arrived in Devon in September 2006. Sangha is six-and-a-half years old and came from Liberec Zoo in Slovakia.
The other giraffes are Tonda, who was born in Paignton in February, 2010, and seven-year-old Janica, who is Valentino's mother and came to Paignton Zoo from Duvr Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic.
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