Blank Park Zoo welcomes baby giraffe to be named by public vote - Des Moines Register

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Des Moines' Blank Park Zoo welcomed its newest furry member this week, a baby giraffe, and the public will have a chance to help pick the calf's name.

A male giraffe calf was born at 4:29 a.m. Tuesday to zoo giraffe parents Zola, 6, and Jakobi, 17, according to a release from Blank Park Zoo. Just 30 hours after birth, zoo keepers and veterinary staff measured him at 5 feet, 5 inches tall and 107 pounds. 

"We are cautiously optimistic the calf is healthy because he passed all the major milestones for a newborn which include quickly learning to stand, walk and nurse from mom regularly, chief animal officer Jay Tetzloff said. "However, this is Zola's first calf and mortality for calves is higher for a firstborn."

The first-time mom has lived at the Blank Park Zoo since 2017, zoo officials said. Jakobi has previously sired several calves. Previously, the zoo welcomed Raza, a male giraffe calf, born Jan. 18, 2021.

"We are fortunate that the birthing process was quick and Zola has been a great mother, allowing the calf to nurse quickly," zoo veterinarian Dr. Drew Gall said.

These long-necked herbivores are the tallest land mammals. The giraffe population has suffered a dramatic decline in the wild by 35-40% since 1985 due to poaching, human population growth, and habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It's estimated that less than 100,000 giraffes remain.

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How to vote for the new giraffe's name

Starting next week, the public can lend a hand in naming the Blank Park Zoo calf. Zoo officials will release several possible names on Sept. 14 and will ask the public to vote on their favorite. Voting will be free, and people will be able to make a donation in honor of the new calf. Voting details will be published at blankparkzoo.com.

You could get a sneak peek at the baby

And while the calf is bonding with Zola away from view, the public has a chance to bid in an auction to be one of the first to meet him in a behind-the-scenes tour. The bid will run until 10 p.m. Set. 10 and proceeds will go to the nonprofit Blank Park Zoo. The public can visit blankparkzoo.com/safariauction to learn more about the auction. 

The rest of the community will meet the calf later this fall, zoo officials said. 

"We are so excited to welcome this healthy boy to our herd," supervisor of large mammals Kayla Freeman said. "It has been refreshing to watch Zola become such a great mom. We can't wait for our community to meet him."

Virginia Barreda is a trending and general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.