August 30, 2011
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Welcomes Birth of Baby Giraffe and Names it "Brandon" After Giants Own "Baby Giraffe"
San Francisco Giants rookie outfielder Brandon Belt now has a real live namesake to go with his popular nickname, “Baby Giraffe,” a male giraffe calf born on Friday, August 26 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.
The birth is the second successful offspring of seven-year-old mother Makali, a reticulated giraffe, and the sire, seven-year-old Nyumekye, a male that had been on loan from Safari West in Santa Rosa. The 6’2” tall calf will eventually grow to upwards of 18 feet in height, with a neck that can be at least seven-feet in length.
With the recent surge in popularity of Belt’s unofficial nickname, dubbed Baby Giraffe by Giants announcer Duane Kuiper because of what he perceived as a similarity anatomically and in movement, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom officials thought by naming the giraffe calf Brandon, the public would feel a unique kinship between the two unrelated species.
“We look forward to park guests welcoming our new calf to his home here at
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom” said Dale Kaetzel, Park President. “While our goal is to ensure the health and welfare of our animals, we are thrilled to be able to have some fun in partnership with a great young player like Brandon and the Giants organization.”
Brandon the player and Brandon the giraffe calf are expected to meet for the first time this week. According to the Giants, Belt has been a good sport about the moniker and has even embraced it. The meeting will be an opportunity to show Belt that giraffes are majestic, graceful and impressive when they mature – and the public may even want to learn more about the species. Even as a newborn, Brandon the giraffe was standing two hours after birth, important for a herd animal in the wild. And though awkward and unstable at first, within 24 hours of age he began to test his running and galloping skills.
“We’re thankful this was a successful pregnancy that resulted in a healthy newborn,” said Michael Muraco, Animal Care Director. “We’re really impressed with the exceptional maternal skills Makali exhibited and her gentleness. We couldn’t be more pleased.”
The birth marks only the second giraffe birth at the park since 1992 (Makali gave birth to her first offspring in 2009) and brings the giraffe herd to five individuals. With this birth, Discovery Kingdom, an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, contributes to the Species Survival Plan (SSP) for the population management of giraffes. The newborn offers a new bloodline to continue genetic diversity in the North American captive population.
The reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) is the most familiar of the nine giraffe subspecies and is characterized by their unique polygonal patterns outlined by narrow cream-colored lines. Males can reach up to 18-feet in height and weigh up to 4,200 lbs., females can grow up to 15 feet and weigh up to 2,600 lbs. Reticulated giraffes are native to northeast Africa, Somalia and northern Kenya.
Guests to the park will have limited viewing opportunities to see mother and baby during operating weekends, the first public viewing opportunity to be announced shortly, as the pair is still bonding and safely housed in the giraffe barn.
