BALTIMORE — Back in January we introduced you to Kipepeo, a now four-year-old giraffe who arrived at the Maryland Zoo in November 2024.
At the time, the Zoo had just revealed her name.
For a while staff kept an extra close eye on Kipepeo to make sure she was adjusting well to a new environment.
VIDEO: Kipepeo the giraffe unexpectedly gives birth at the Maryland Zoo
MORE: Meet Kipepeo, the Maryland Zoo's newest giraffe
Things were going well, but on March 26 there was a slight change in her behavior.
Turns out Kipepeo was pregnant and about to give birth.
On March 27 she became a first-time mom, to a healthy female calf.
The birth was quite the surprise. The Zoo had no prior record of Kipepeo breeding, and was unaware she was pregnant.
“Gestation for reticulated giraffe is around 450 days so Kipi was pregnant when she arrived in Baltimore,” said Erin Cantwell Grimm, Mammal Curator at the Maryland Zoo. “We’re keeping a close eye on the calf to make sure she hits her growth milestones and, so far, we like what we’re seeing.”
The unnamed baby calf weighs 58 kilograms, standing approximately 6 feet tall.
“The first 24 hours or so are the most critical part through the labor and then making sure that the calf stands up and starts nursing and she has done all of that like a champ,” Margaret Innes, the zoo's curator told us.
Now, the zoo is sharing news of the surprise birth with its visitors who will be able to see the calf once it’s acclimated to its surroundings in a few weeks, and they may even be able to help in naming it.
Zoo staff tells us she's nursing well and are impressed by mama Kipi's mothering.
The youngest attraction at a zoo, which already draws a half a million people each year, many of whom will want to grab their first glimpse of the unexpected addition.
“Animal babies, especially something as charismatic as a baby giraffe, are fan favorites,” said Mike Evitts, the zoo’s spokesperson. “People already are going crazy over this lovely animal."
For now, the Zoo's male giraffe can be seen in the outside habitat, while the indoor Giraffe House closes for Kipepeo and her baby to bond.
