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Meet Miles, the New Baby Giraffe
Monday March 9, 2009:
Towering Overhead
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As of Friday March 6, Miles stands 6 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds! His weight is significant since it means he has gained half his birth weight in just 5 weeks!
Miles is getting 4 bottles of goat's milk mixed with water each day. He's fed at 5 a.m., 11 a.m., 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. When he's not taking a bottle, he's starting to taste test solid food. He can usually be seen eating grain with his sister Neema, emulating what the "big" giraffes do.
Wednesday Feb 25, 2009:
Miles is growing like a weed - straight up!
Miles weighed in at 150 pounds today (Wednesday, Feb. 25). That's a whopping 40 pound gain in less than 4 weeks.
On Friday he was 6'3", which is almost 6 inches taller than he was at birth. He's still being fed five times daily between 5 a.m. and midnight. Each bottle contains 55 ounces of goat's milk. That's not quite a half gallon. As he grows and his stomach capacity increases he could consume as much as a gallon per feeding.
Miles definitely does not suffer from a lack of confidence. Besides growing physically, Miles' awareness of the world around him is growing. He's now been outside in the rain and in the dark. Neither rain nor darkness seems to bother him.
He's explored the habitat outside the barn where the big giraffes live, while his keeper was keeping a close eye. He was especially interested in the large water tub.
Over the past week Miles has shown more interest in following Kiva, his dad, along the fence. Big brother Jack has been observed grooming him and Miles seems to tolerate that quite well.
Sister Neema still tries to style his mane and ossicones, but he's learned where to go to avoid her.
Most days Miles can be viewed on the middle pad outside the barn. As he grows up and becomes more tolerant of cooler temperatures Zoo guests will have more opportunity to see him outside, even on crisp mornings.
Tuesday Feb 17, 2009
At last report, Miles is up to 134 pounds. He is eating well and growing strong.
We've uploaded some new photos of Miles.
Visit the Houston Zoo flickr page
for new Miles photos.
Tuesday Feb 10, 2009:
Miles Kicks Up His Heels
Last Friday Miles was 5 feet ten and a half inches - up an inch since his birth on January 30. Before long his keepers will need a step ladder to bottle feed him! Miles weighs 130 pounds. He's gained 20 pounds since birth.
Right now, Miles is getting 5 feedings a day between 5 a.m. and midnight. When keepers leave after the last feeding of the day they turn the barn lights off and he goes to bed.
When the first keeper arrives in the morning, he stands up and stretches, just like a little kid. He even stretches his tail!
Mornings usually find Miles in the barn. But most afternoons he is outside where he can interact with the rest of the giraffe herd over the fence. He's figured out how his long legs work and he's very graceful for a young giraffe. He gallops around and kicks up his heels and has the uncanny ability to stop on a dime. Often keepers have to call him several times to get him back in the barn for feedings after playtime.
Thursday, Feb 5, 2009:
Miles Takes His First Steps Outside
Miles was weighed this morning and is now 120 pounds, a gain of ten pounds since his birth last Friday. He is growing fast and drinking his bottles; he now takes more than a liter of milk at a time and is feeding approximately every four hours around the clock. Keepers are still maintaining a 24 hour schedule to care for him.
Miles is becoming more adventurous as he grows. His behavior is more and more playful and as he walks around he has started to get a little prance in his steps. He has also learned to use his naturally long tongue and was caught licking his nostril!
Friday, Jan 30, 2009:
It's a Boy! The Houston Zoo welcomes "Miles," a new baby giraffe to our naturally wild world.
He's very tall and very cute and brand new. Early Friday morning, January 30 the Houston Zoo welcomed the birth of a bouncing baby boy Masai giraffe. "He was born around 6:30 a.m. and by 7:50 a.m. he was standing on his own," said Houston Zoo Supervisor Laurie McGivern. "He's 69 and a half inches tall and weighs 110 pounds. He's has all the appearances of a strong and healthy boy," said McGivern.Miles is being hand reared by Houston Zoo giraffe keepers. "Noel is a gentle, attentive and good mother but doesn't make enough milk to nurse and raise her calves," said McGivern. "So, the keeper staff will bottle feed the calf for at least six months," added McGivern. "His primary keepers have a 24 hour watch and feeding schedule in place to ensure he gets the best care and attention. Initially the calf's diet will consist of bovine colostrum mixed with goat's milk. But in a day or so we will switch to goat's milk mixed with a little bit of water," said McGivern.
Miles will be on view at the Houston Zoo giraffe exhibit. "When the calf is in his barn stall Zoo guests can view him through the stall window at the rear of the giraffe exhibit," said McGivern. "The staff will also be presenting Meet the Keeper Talks with the baby at various times during the day," added McGivern. Zoo guests are encouraged to visit the Zoo's Web site at www.houstonzoo.org for the Meet the Keeper Talk schedules at the giraffe exhibit.
Early Friday morning, January 30 the Houston Zoo welcomed the birth of a bouncing baby boy Masai giraffe. "He was born around 6:30 a.m. and by 7:50 a.m. he was standing on his own," Giraffes are the tallest living terrestrial animal. The average male giraffe can reach a height of about 17 feet tall and can weight up to 3,000 pounds. The average female giraffe can reach a height of 15 feet tall. The average gestation period for Masai giraffes is 14 months.
While they are not threatened or endangered in their native habitat, there are only 87 Masai giraffes in North American Zoos. Giraffe breeding at the Houston zoo follows guidelines established by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Population Management Plan (PMP) program. PMPs have been developed for selected groups of animals to manage breeding of zoo populations in order to maintain healthy, self-sustaining populations that are both genetically diverse and demographically stable.
