KINGWOOD, W.Va. (WBOY) — After welcoming a newborn giraffe on Friday, Hovatter’s Wildlife Zoo in Preston County shared a video on Tuesday of the baby’s first time in the sun.
Baby Zara is the firstborn calf of mother Zena, and although the weather was great for her first time exploring outside, she didn’t seem super thrilled about it. In the live video on Hovatter’s Facebook page, Zara takes a few steps outside behind her mother and looks around for a minute, but despite a few nudges from mom, goes back inside after about a minute.
The zoo said that once it drops below a certain temperature, zookeepers keep the giraffes inside. Because Tuesday was particularly warm, Zara had the chance to briefly explore outside, but with the zoo closing for the season within the next month or so, Those who want to see baby Zara in person might have to wait until next season.
Young giraffes generally begin walking within an hour of birth, but they will not begin weaning until they are almost a year old, according to the Denver Zoo. Right now, Zara is about six feet tall, and by this time next year, she should be about double that size.
For more information about Hovatter’s Zoo dates and tickets, visit its Facebook page.
