Marwell welcomes baby giraffe (From Hampshire Chronicle)
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Marwell welcomes baby giraffe
3:54pm Friday 3rd February 2012 in Winchester
Mum Irsula with her new calf born at Marwell Wildlife’s park near Winchester
THE stork made a valuable delivery at Marwell Wildlife’s park with the arrival of a Rothschild Giraffe.
They are classed as endangered and the calf arrived at around 1pm last Tuesday (January 31).
Ian Goodwin, section manager at Marwell Wildlife said: “Mum Irsula is nearly four-years-old and this is her first calf.
“For a first time mum she is doing really well and of course we will continue to monitor them both.
“This is about the 30th giraffe birth I have seen in my career and it is still very exciting to have a new arrival.”
The giraffes face many threats in the wild including habitat loss and poaching for meat and hides.
It is thought there may be only a few hundred individuals left in the wild.
The calf is yet to be named, and keepers will be finding out if it is a boy or a girl in the coming days.
All of the giraffes at Marwell near Winchester are on public view in the park’s Into Africa section.
Visit youtube.com/marwellwildlife for more details about the new arrival.
