By Hannah Wolke, Staff Writer
The Cincinnati Zoo announced that the 19-year-old giraffe Tessa is pregnant with her fifth calf.
For the first time in Cincinnati Zoo history, a birth will be livestreamed on the zoo’s YouTube channel, with footage having began on Oct. 19.
The live streams are broadcast on YouTube featuring all the giraffes at the Cincinnati Zoo from an indoor and outdoor enclosure view. Many cute moments with zookeepers, feedings and patrons of the zoo have all been caught on camera while Tessa waits for her calf.
The new calf will meet her five-year-old father, Zeke; sister, Zoey; and half-brother, Fennessy soon. The zoo has kept the livestream in both their indoor enclosure and outdoor enclosure to make sure Cincinnati Zoo patrons do not miss this incredible moment.
The zoo said the pairing with Zeke was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Giraffe Species Survival Plan, so the introduction of this genetic combination to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums population is incredibly important for survival and longevity.
What makes this birth so special is that they were not sure Tessa could still conceive because of her age.
“[We] were a little discouraged when we didn’t see signs of breeding,” Cincinnati Zoo giraffe keeper Teresa Truesdale said to news station WLWT. “It turns out that the breeding was happening at night when we weren’t around!”
The zoo told WLWT last week that this miracle is going to be able to help expand their giraffe enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo at Giraffe Tower in the next couple of years. This will help provide more behind-the-scenes experiences for patrons of the zoo and give the giraffes more space for playing and feeding.
Cincinnati Zoo patrons, fans and animal lovers hopped into the livestream chat to talk to each other about what has been happening. As of yesterday, Tessa still has not had the baby, but fans in the live chat have been saying she might have her calf in the next couple of days.
On Sunday night, the zoo sent a live update on the livestream chat:
“Here is a Tessa update! She’s still steadily progressing and continuing to show udder development. She still has a big appetite and has been chowing down on lettuce throughout the day,” they said.
The zoo told WLWT that they will do their best to alert their social channels when signs of labor occur. They continued to tell them that the public might be able to help name the baby.
All who are interested in Tessa having her calf should regularly check all the Cincinnati Zoo social pages and the indoor and outdoor live streams on YouTube.