(INDIANAPOLIS) – A newborn giraffe that’s the Indianapolis Zoo’s newest addition is also the first female of the African species born there in nearly 20 years.
The reticulated giraffe was born Feb. 11, already weighing 134 pounds and standing about 6 feet tall. She was named Makena (ma-kay-nuh), which means “happy” or “abundance” in Swahili.
Makena is the first female calf born at the zoo since 2000 and is the seventh calf born to her mother, Takasa. She’s her only female offspring.
Mother and newborn are doing well and the zoo’s newest addition to its menagerie will make her public debut this spring.
Zookeepers say the calf is curious and adventurous, exploring her surroundings but never venturing too far from her watchful mother.
Her father is an 8-year-old giraffe named Majani.
