We’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, support and interest in our viral star Katie and her sweet baby girl. It’s hard to put it into words how incredible this entire “Giraffe Birth Live” experience has been for the Dallas Zoo. We’re honored to have partnered with Animal Planet to show you the miracle of life as it unfolded live on your television screens.
While we’re trying to respond to as many of you as possible on social media, we may miss a few of your questions and comments. Here are the answers to the questions we’re receiving most.
Q. This was amazing. Why did you do this? We believe the public benefits from seeing what goes on behind the scenes at a leading, accredited U.S. zoo. We’re extremely proud of our animal and veterinary teams, and the excellent, dedicated care they provide. Showing this birth also allowed us to teach about giraffes, including how threatened they are in Africa. We hope that will convince more people to get involved in conservation efforts with the groups with which we partner to help preserve giraffes in the wild.
Q: How can I help save wild giraffes? Please make a donation to our giraffe conservation partner that’s helping save giraffes in the wild. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation is at the forefront of protecting giraffe (sub)species in Africa. Click HERE to make a donation. Please follow them on Facebook and Twitter, too.
Q: Now that Katie’s baby is here, when can we see her in person? Spring is here, which means rain in Texas! In a perfect world, the baby would go out within a week of birth to the giraffe feeding yard in the Giants of the Savanna habitat. However, the rainy weather is stalling that plan. Keepers have to wait until the habitat is no longer muddy for the baby to safely roam the area (she’s quite the runner already!).
As soon as the rain subsides and the ground is dry, the baby will go out for you to meet. When that time comes, the baby will be out on select days during nice weather. We’ll share those times with you on Facebook, Twitter and on the ZooHoo! blog, but it’s always a safe bet to call before you visit, so you’re not disappointed.
Q: For those who don’t live in Texas, how can we see the baby’s first day in the habitat? Our video/photography team will capture the baby’s first day out as she meets the public. We will definitely share this on social media!
Q: It looks like Katie isn’t letting her baby to nurse enough. What’s happening? This is normal giraffe behavior. The average calf nurse is just 66 seconds, and can often be less than 10 seconds! Giraffes are built to survive in the wild, which means the calves have to get a quick mouthful of milk and move on because of predators. These guys are naturally on constant alert. Compared to cow’s milk, giraffe’s milk has more fat, protein and less lactose. Each squirt of giraffe milk is extremely nutritious for the calf. The calf’s feedings look great to keepers, who are monitoring all activity.
Q: When can Katie get some fresh air? Katie and her calf were scheduled to go outside into the outdoor area that’s not in public view today (Monday), but the rain changed that. (We can’t take a risk of the baby falling in the mud!) You may see Katie pacing in the maternity stall because she wants to go outside, but right now she has to do what’s best for baby. As soon as our keepers feel the outdoor space is safe, they’ll let the two roam in that area.
Q: How is the baby going to be named? Our giraffe keepers are selecting three names. We have a recent policy of naming our animals after their native country — for example, calf Kopano’s name means “united” in Botswana — to further conservation messaging and to show respect for their wild brethren. We will open up the name selection to a public vote later this week on our website.
Q: When will the Animal Planet cameras be taken down? We don’t have a date yet, but it will in all likelihood be this week. Once Katie and the calf head outside more often, there will be less to see!
Q: When will the other giraffes meet the baby? Giraffe Auggie will be the first introduced; he’ll also be the only giraffe to go out into the feeding yard with her and Katie. Auggie is our 14-year-old gentle giant; he’s the most calm, patient and mature giraffe in the herd. The calf will slowly meet the other members of the herd as she grows. Jade, Katie’s good pal, will be the first female to meet the calf, and 4-year-old sister Jamie will probably be the last female to meet the calf, to avoid “jealous big sister syndrome.”
Q: Does father Tebogo recognize his offspring? Tebogo is interested in them, but there’s no way of telling if he knows they’re his children. He enjoys sniffing and licking them through the mesh, though.
What a Blessing I experienced this past week, while watching Katie and birth of the little Sweetie! the Narrative given during the Birth was so informational and Kudos to the Narrator … Being a native Texan I was extremely proud of Texas and the Dallas Zoo … Keep it up!! Your Staff is Amazing as well …. “Don’t Mess With Texas, or Katie” …
Thank you for this opportunity! I have been constantly checking in to see Katie and baby. This is GREAT!
Thank you all for doing this and for sharing Katie and her baby with us and being patient with us “overprotective” onlookers. I now have reason to travel to Texas! Thanks for this Q&A! I know we were all bombarding the twitter feed with questions.
Thank you so much for this Q&A. All my questions and worries fully answered. Great document! Again, thanks.
Want to tell you how much I love seeing Katie and her sweet baby!
My 8 year old, Ashlynn, and I have been watching Katie for about a week now. We were studying giraffes in homeschooling and this was perfect timing! I must say, we have grown quite attached (and somewhat obsessed) with Katie and her baby. We have a question though! Why doesn’t Katie snuggle with her baby? We often see Katie pacing on one side of the stall while the baby is laying on the other. Thanks! It will be a sad day in our house when the camera’s come down!
This has been quite the experience…Thankyou you Dallas Zoo and all of those working there to make it possible for me to enjoy this…I have family in Texas..hopefully I can make your Zoo a place to visit!! Me and my family have so enjoyed this..I hope we can keep in contact with the new little girl and Katie to see their growth..again Ty so much…Bless you all!!
Thankyou for allowing me to be a part of Katie’s journey if only for a short while . I have ms and am unlikely to ever see giraffe in the wild and I can’t tell you the pleasure watching your girls has given me . I live in North Scotland so again are unlikely to ever be able to visit Katie and all her family but will always be checking on your web site for news on how they are getting on . I hope this wonderful thing you have done has an impact on many and raises awareness for those who have not paid attention perhaps until now of the plight of theses beautiful and gentle creatures in the wild . I am not looking forward to the morning I check in and will no longer be able to watch Katie and her gorgeous calf but hope you will continue to at least give updates and pics . I wish them all well and send my hugs and kisses xx
I SO wish that Katie Cam would stay up! I’m rather addicted to saying good night to her and the baby. What an incredible experience this has been to observe! Thank you so much! Giraffe’s are my favorite animal! No, Elephants. No, Chimps…no, Baboons…no, Gorillas, um, no – meerkats….oh, well, call me an animal lover!
I saw the story of your baby Giraffe being born. She is beautiful.
We just visited a nearby New Orleans wild life global tour. The grandboys loved the giraffes.
Giraffes are their favorite. Whenever we get to Dallas we will come and visit your zoo.
I have a suggestion for a name, Ginger Giraffe.
She is Ginger color and she had legs and moves similar to Ginger Rogers the dancer.
Thank you for sharing this experience with the world.
Please keep up the great work.
Barbie Hughes
What about the name of Savanah.
It would be very interesting to follow the herd, including Katie and baby. Please keep some kind of a live feed up. Before the birth I had never heard of the Dallas Zoo. I’m not from Texas. Now I plan to visit. All due to Katie and calf. Gorgeous animals. Just incredible to be this close to giraffes. Thanks so much.
I think she should be named April
Thank you,
Do you think animal planet will put cameras up where we can see the giraffes?
So glad you address the nursing (or lack thereof). I was concerned that baby was not getting enough nutrition from Katie. Silly me…I should have known Katie would never deny the baby anything she needed. She is a good mother, but I think she (and you) are going to have your hands full with that little one. She’s already really spunky and seems to have some attitude. Love her, love Katie…love the keepers, love Dallas Zoo!!!
Is there any way to get a biography and picture of each giraffe so we can recognize them? I don’t know what I’ll do when cameras are taken down. I’ll be heartbroken.
How does Katie react when the zookeepers need to do an exam etc on her calf? Are they seperated or kept together during this time? Also, do the caregivers get to spend time with the giraffes for petting etc… watching from Ga I just want to hug them both!!! Absolutely loving this experience, Thank You!!!!
Katie and baby were only separated for a short period of time during the well-baby check when she was 2-days-old. She won’t need to be examined again for quite some time. The keepers do give the animals lots of love through the mesh, and in other areas of the barn. But because we’re a protected contact zoo, our keepers are never in the same space with a potentially dangerous animal without a barrier between them. At our giraffe feeding platform, guests can touch and feed the giraffes!
My 9yrs old son & i are in love with Katie & calf. We were also concerned about her nursing but assumed that’s what it was. I don’t know why we were ever concerned though, because she is growing so healthy, strong & tall. Katie is such a great mom & we love watching the two of them bonding. What a special thing to witness live. We will be very sad when they take the live feed down.