6-Foot Tall Baby Born at Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay welcomed a new baby female reticulated giraffe nearly one month ago.

At birth on Jan. 27, the calf was 6 foot, 2 inches tall and weighed approximately 176 pounds. Her father is Jafari and her mother is Cupid. This is Jafari’s second calf, and Cupid’s fifth, said Busch Gardens spokesperson Jill Revelle.

Exactly one month to the day before this most recent birth, another female in the herd, Tesa, gave birth to Jafari’s first calf, which was also female.

A reticulated giraffe’s gestation period is approximately 15 months, and the new baby will nurse for about one year, Revelle said. This birth is part of a successful long-term breeding program at Busch Gardens. The term “reticulated” refers to the giraffe’s net-like pattern of spots.