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‘Super mum’ giraffe gives birth to fourth calf

The birth also saw 11-year-old Kimba become a father for the sixth time on Fathers Day

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A young giraffe calf with its mum Tessa at Cincinnati Zoo

A calf has been born to a giraffe described as a “super mom” by the zoo where she lives.

Twelve-year-old Tessa gave birth to her fourth calf in the early hours of Sunday morning at Cincinnati Zoo.

“Tessa is our super mom,” said Christina Gorsuch, curator of mammals at Cincinnati Zoo. “She and baby are doing well and bonding behind the scenes at Giraffe Ridge. Kimba will be reunited with the full group within a week.”

The birth also meant that 11-year-old Kimba became a father for the sixth time on Fathers Day.

A young giraffe calf with its mum Tessa at Cincinnati Zoo
Tessa gave birth to her fourth calf on Sunday morning (Cincinnati Zoo)

Giraffe pregnancies last around 15 months and the leggy mammals give birth standing up – meaning their babies’ lives begin with a drop to the ground.

They are able to walk almost immediately and Tessa’s latest baby was no exception – the calf, whose sex is not yet known, was on its feet within an hour.

Tessa and was not the only animal to give birth at the zoo over the weekend as her calf came shortly after a critically endangered bongo – a species of antelope – was born at the park.

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