Greenville Zoo to introduce baby giraffe

The Greenville Zoo staff will be joined by representatives from the Greenville Zoo Foundation on Friday, February 12 at 1:30 p.m. for a news conference to introduce the baby giraffe, announce its name and sex and discuss the details of the birth. The news conference will be held in front of the giraffe exhibit.

Viewers from across the U.S. and from countries all over the world watched as Autumn, the zoo’s Masai giraffe, gave birth at approximately 6:15 a.m. on February 2. Since the birth, zookeepers have been monitoring the calf to ensure that it continues to thrive, and the zoo’s medical staff has performed a neonatal exam. Walter, the calf’s father, remains separated from Autumn and their baby to allow time for mother and calf to bond without interruption, and for the calf to gain strength. Since the zoo had just closed for two weeks the day before the birth, zoo officials have allowed the public to continue submitting baby names untilFebruary 11 at noon. Once the contest closes, zookeepers will select a favorite from the submissions.

Interest in the giraffe birth has remained high over the past week, as the public has continued to follow the calf’s progress via the Giraffe Cam and the zoo’s Facebook page. “The outpouring of joy and excitement over the giraffe’s birth has been remarkable, and we have been overwhelmed by the amount of attention it has received,” said zoo administrator Jeff Bullock. “We’ve kept the community and our supporters in suspense for a long time, so we’re all looking forward to the big reveal on Friday and to welcoming our zoo guests when we reopen on Saturday.”

The baby giraffe’s name and sex will be posted on the zoo’s Facebook page immediately following the news conference. The zoo will reopen to the public on Saturday, February 13 at 10 a.m.