ORLANDO, Fla. — Editor's Note: The video above is from a March story about Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Scroll down for pictures of the new giraffe calf at Disney.
If you soon see a baby with a really long neck wandering around Disney World, we want you to know...it's OK to stare.
Animal Kingdom recently welcomed a new Masai giraffe calf. Born on June 10, he's almost six feet tall and weighs a whopping 183 pounds.
The Disney Parks Blog says the little guy has spent most of his time nuzzling in a backstage barn with his mom, whose name is Lily.
"He’s a special guy with a unique butterfly marking over his right shoulder and heart-shaped markings dotting his coat," the Parks Blog wrote.
The new calf and Lily have not yet joined the rest of their herd on the savanna, but Disney says the sweet duo will be visible on Kilimanjaro Safaris in the upcoming weeks.
Disney praised the birth as a success for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan Program – an initiative to breed species that are threatened or endangered in the wild.
Wild giraffe populations have declined 40 percent in the last three decades, leaving only about 35,000 Masai giraffes. Disney says the wild giraffe population drops have been exacerbated by poaching and habitat destruction.
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