Santa Barbara Zoo welcomes new baby giraffe

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- The Santa Barbara Zoo announced Friday that their Masai giraffe, Adia, gave birth to a healthy male calf named Raymie early Wednesday morning.

Raymie was born around 2 a.m. on Jan. 19, and was standing about 45 minutes after.

The Zoo reports that Raymie is about 5 ft. 9 in. tall and weighs 71.4 kg.

“We are thrilled to share the news of this birth and welcome another Masai giraffe to our herd,” said Dr. Julie Barnes, the Zoo’s Vice President of Animal Care & Health. “Each giraffe born at the Zoo is very important to this population and conservation of this species, so we’re especially proud of the critical work done at the Santa Barbara Zoo with our incredible animal care team. While we’ve seen many giraffe births here at the Santa Barbara Zoo, it’s always exciting to see another calf born and stand for the first time.”

Raymie and his mother Adia, 7, are currently spending time away from the public to bond in the giraffe barn.

For more on the newly born, you can visit the Zoo’s social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for photos and updates.

To access the Santa Barbara Zoo's website, click here.