I spoke with the giraffe keeper, Dustin, today to get an update on our new giraffe baby. It has been determined that we have a bouncing baby boy! He has been named Hodari, which means " strong" in Swahili. As of today, Hodari is 6'2" (1.8 meters) tall and he weighs 152 pounds (69 kilograms). He is obviously getting good care from his mother, Bahati, as he has gained 5 pounds (2.2 kilograms) since his birthday last week. Even though keepers have only witnessed the baby nursing a few times, his growth, and a blood glucose test done the day he was born, let keepers know he has gained the skill of nursing and is using it.

When Hodari was first discovered by the keepers they took a small drop of his blood and tested it on a machine to get a blood glucose reading. It is a similar process that diabetics use to test their blood sugar. His blood glucose was 142, which is within the normal range. A reading below 70 would be cause for concern, and an indication that keeper intervention might be needed. Since Hodari's blood sugar was normal, the keepers knew he had already taken in nourishment, and most likely would continue to do so.

The keepers do not do a 24-hour baby watch on the giraffes as they generally do not have complications with the birthing process. Labor for giraffes typically lasts about ½ hour to 1 hour, and within one hour of birth, the baby is already standing up and hopefully nursing from its mother.

Hodari and his mom Bahati will be on exhibit typically from 9 a.m. to possibly as late as 2 p.m. on the weekdays. They are separated from the rest of the herd to give them a little privacy and so keepers can be sure Bahati is getting enough food. However, the area in which they're on exhibit is also the area where the public can feed the giraffes at 12 p.m. on weekends. Therefore, they may come off exhibit as early as noon on weekends. So come to the Zoo early so you can get a good long look at our new " little" cutie.

Sunni Robertson is an educator at the San Diego Zoo.

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