A baby giraffe named "Millie" has been born to mother "Orla" at UK's Chester Zoo, the second of its kind born in captivity worldwide in the past 7 days. It is part of the endangered "Rothschild" subspecies with only 670 left in the wild.
Last week, another baby giraffe calf was born in Leo Zoological Conservation Center in Connecticut. That as-yet-unnamed baby was also about six feet tall when born, and immediately stood up and fed as well.
Rothschild giraffes were named after Lord Walter Walter Rothschild, who described them in their abundance at the time in Kenya, Uganda and Sudan. They now only exist in Kenya and Uganda, populations having been whittled down by human encroachment and poaching.
The Rothschild giraffe can be identified by its lighter markings, as well as the lack of markings below the knee. This leads to the impression of wearing white "stockings" on their legs.
Full grown Rothschild giraffes will reach upwards of 18 feet tall, about three times its birth size.
