Springfield zoo introduces its new baby giraffe; it's a boy

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. � The Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield is showing off its newest resident � a male giraffe.

The giraffe, which doesn�t have a name yet, was born Thursday and went on public display Friday.

Zoo spokeswoman Joey Powell said the giraffe was 4.5 to 5-feet all � which is small for a newborn giraffe. A giraffe born at the zoo last summer was almost a foot taller. Powell said the average height for newborn giraffes is 5- to 6-feet tall.

It�s the first baby for 5-year-old Mili, and second for the father, Grady.

The mother and newborn are now on exhibit for the public but they are being kept separately from the rest of the herd.

The Kansas City Zoo welcomed Dixie, a 6-foot-tall giraffe, on Feb. 2.