Meet Joann the giraffe, the newest member of the giraffe herd at Oakland Zoo. Photo by Oakland Zoo.
Say hello to Joann the giraffe, the newest member of the giraffe herd at Oakland Zoo! Joann is two years old, and she just moved to Oakland Zoo from The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in April.
When she first arrived, she was introduced to Maggie, a 14-year-old resident giraffe to help her get acclimated to her new habitat. The two giraffes stayed behind the scenes in the giraffe barn.
Joann was welcomed into the herd at Oakland Zoo. Here she is with fellow herdmate, Nuru. Photo by Oakland Zoo.
After a few weeks, Maggie led Joann out to introduce her to the rest of the herd. After smelling one another, Joann the herd began grazing and foraging together.
Joann is very sweet, and visitors can now see her with the rest of the giraffe herd in the habitat. Photo by Oakland Zoo.
“Joann is incredibly sweet and seeks out connections with the other giraffes and her new Animal Care Keepers. She is very brave, and her curiosity grows every day,” said Jessica Parke, Oakland Zoo Animal Care Keeper.
Imara, a Masai giraffe calf, was born on February 22, 2026 at Toronto Zoo. Photo credit: Toronto Zoo.
In February, the Toronto Zoo in Canada welcomed a baby who is most likely taller than you! Standing at 1.95 m (6 ft. 4 in.) a half hour after being born, the newborn Masai giraffe calf was a very happy (and very tall) addition to the zoo.
Like all giraffes, the female calf, named Imara, had a very long drop to the ground when she was born–about 2 m (6 ft.)! Watch a video of her birth here:
Imari and her mom, Mstari, are doing well and are being supervised by zoo staff.
According to Dolf DeJong, CEO, Your Toronto Zoo, “We announced Mstari’s pregnancy on Mother’s Day last year and after a 15-month pregnancy we are thrilled to have a healthy calf in our care, raising the profile of endangered Masai giraffes and inspiring our community to learn more and stand with us as Guardians of Wild.”
Both Imara and her mother, Mstari, are doing well. Photo credit: Toronto Zoo.
Fewer than 35,000 Masai giraffes survive in the wild, having experienced more than a 50% decline in the past 30 years. They are considered endangered by the IUCN, threatened by illegal hunting and habitat loss.
There was an abundance of adorable baby animals born or rescued in 2024. Here are a few highlights of the cutest babies:
Best Baby Mustache
As you can imagine, this was a competitive category, but the best baby mustache goes to Uki, a baby Pacific walrus rescued in Alaska by the Alaska SeaLife Center and SeaWorld Orlando.
Photo by Alaska SeaLife Center / Courtesy SeaWorld Orlando.
Leggiest Duo
The award for leggiest duo goes to this pair of giraffe calves born at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo to mothers Asmara and Zane on September 14 and 20 this year.
Photo by Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
Fluffiest Fuzzball
The fluffiest fuzzball title goes to the Chilean flamingo chicks hatched at the Lincoln Park Zoo in August.
Photo by Lincoln Park Zoo.
Rough-n-Tumbliest Baby
The rough-n-tumbliest award goes to this boisterous baby black rhino, shown here romping with his mother, Mesi. The calf was born at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in August.
Photo credit: Hayley Brooks, Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
Pokiest Baby
This baby North American porcupine takes the title as the pokiest baby. The porcupette was the first ever porcupine to be delivered via C-section at the San Diego Zoo.
Photo credit: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Teeniest Slither
The title of teeniest slither goes to this tiny baby gartersnake born at the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation (ACNC)/Phoenix Zoo and released along with 24 others to the wild this September in an ongoing effort to bolster the population.
Photo credit: Phoenix Zoo.
Best Hugger
The award for best hugger goes to Scout, the baby two-toed sloth at the Roger Williams Park Zoo, pictured here cuddling with a favorite stuffie.
Two new giraffe calves joined the herd at Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Photo by Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo Australia welcomed two giraffe calves to their herd recently. Asmara gave birth to a female calf on September 14 and Zane [ZAH-nee] had a healthy male calf on September 20.
A baby giraffe was born at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in August. Photo by Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, Australia has welcomed a new leggy arrival. A male giraffe calf was born on August 23 to mother Mvita. He was born mid-afternoon and by 5:30pm he was standing and nursing from his mother.
According to keeper Ruby Cullen, “The calf has this week ventured out with mum onto the paddock with the herd, including father Mtoto. The calf is settling in very well.”
The giraffe calf exploring the paddock with the rest of the herd. Photo by Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
The male giraffe calf was born on August 23 to mother Mvita. Photo by Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
A new 13-month giraffe arrived at the Oakland Zoo. Photo credit: Oakland Zoo.
The Oakland Zoo welcomed a new addition to their reticulated giraffe herd. A 13-month old male giraffe, from Audobon Nature Institute in Louisiana, traveled to California in a specially-designed carrier to accommodate his 10-foot height.
The giraffe traveled from Louisiana to California in a specially-designed carrier to accommodate his 10-foot height. Photo by Oakland Zoo.
The new giraffe is getting comfortable in his new home, and the zoo has provided different forms of enrichment, bedding, and plants to eat to see what he prefers. He is getting used to the sights, sounds, and smells of the other giraffes in the herd through a fence for now. When the animal care team thinks he’s ready, he will join his herdmates in the African Savanna giraffe habitat.
The giraffe is getting comfortable in his new home. When the animal care team thinks he’s ready, he will join his herdmates in the African Savanna giraffe habitat. Photo by Oakland Zoo.
The Oakland Zoo supports the Reticulated Giraffe Project, which aims to learn more about and conserve reticulated giraffe populations in the wild. The reticulated giraffe population has declined by 50% in the past 35 years, and they are considered endangered by the IUCN Redlist. To learn more about Oakland Zoo’s conservation efforts, visit their website.
To learn more about giraffes, see our Giraffe page.
Rompin’ rhino! This black rhino calf, named Mesi, was born in April and has only recently gone on public display with her mom. Photo by Rick Stevens, Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
Mirror image: The two giraffe calves, born 1 week apart, check each other out. [Read more about Zuberi and Kibo.] Photo by Rick Stevens, Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
Kendi, a three-month-old hippo calf, soaks up the sun with her mom. Photo by Rick Stevens, Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
You can learn facts about these animals in our articles: Giraffe and Hippopotamus.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, Australia is doubly pleased to announce the birth of two baby giraffes- born just one week apart!
The first calf has been named Zuberi, which means “strong” in Swahili. He was born in the exhibit around noon on August 8.
Photo courtesy of Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
According to zookeeper Pascale Benoit, “It was a smooth delivery and was followed by a number of giraffes in the herd getting up close to meet the new calf within moments of its arrival. They were a great support for experienced mother, Asmara, helping her to lick her new calf and encouraging him to stand.”
The second calf arrived on August 15 in the middle of the night. He has been named Kibo, which means “the highest”.
Photo courtesy of Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
“Both pairs of mother and calf are doing very well, and have integrated nicely back into the herd,” Pascale said.
Film still from “Last of the Longnecks.” Courtesy of Iniosante Studios.
The IUCN has recently reclassified giraffes from a species of least concern to one vulnerable of extinction. Giraffe populations in Africa have declined 40% since 1985. All nine subspecies of giraffe are officially in trouble.
Iniosante Studios has spent the last three years documenting the situation in their film, “Last of the Longnecks,” which has helped bring global awareness to the plight of giraffes and instigated a reclassification by the IUCN. To obtain accurate figures for the IUCN, more than a dozen researchers combed the savannas in trucks, wandered trails on foot, flown in aircraft, and studied remote cameras.
“We’ve been working alongside the researchers in our film for the past three years to sound the alarm,” said Ashley Scott Davison, the film’s director. “Until recently, few people were even aware of the situation facing giraffes. This reclassification by the IUCN is pivotal to get the public to take action for our planet’s tallest animal.”
