A baby giraffe has been born at Wellington Zoo for the first time in nearly two decades.
The female calf was born at 6am on Wednesday to parents Zuri and Sunny without veterinary intervention.
Zoo chief executive Karen Fifield said the calf and mother were being kept separate from the other giraffes, while still being able to see and smell each other.
Once the mother and calf bond, they wil be reintroduced to the herd, including father Sunny and Zuri’s niece, Zahara.
The last time a giraffe was born at Wellington Zoo was in 2004.
Fifield said the newborn’s arrival was long-awaited. Giraffe pregnancies last more than a year, and zoo staff set up CCTV in the giraffe habitat and consulted with experts around the world throughout the term.
“We are grateful to both our zoo whānau and the Wellington community, [who] have supported us throughout Zuri’s pregnancy.”
Animal care manager Nic Dunn said: “Our animal care and veterinary team had been monitoring the footage every single hour for the past few weeks, making sure we would be ready for the birth.”
Established in 1906, Wellington Zoo is New Zealand’s oldest conservation organisation, home to more than 500 native and exotic animals.
The zoo said since the 1980s, habitat loss and poaching had resulted in the wild giraffe population declining from 155,000 to approximately 110,000 today.
Fire crews were quickly on the scene and it appeared to be under control within minutes.