Endangered Rothschild Giraffe Born in Connecticut Zoo [Video]

A rare giraffe has now given birth to a healthy calf at LEO Zoological Conservation Center in Connecticut. The endangered giraffe is the first one to be born in the state.

The conservation center said that the 6-year-old giraffe named Petal that gave birth to the calf is bonding well with the newborn. Rothschild giraffes have an average gestation period of around 15 months. The giraffe mothers give birth while standing up, so the newborn calf has to endure a six foot drop to the ground.

"She's a great mom. She was very proud, trying to show off her newborn," said Marcella Leone, founder and director of the center, according to the Greenwichtime.com.

According to Greenwichtime.com, the new mother cleaned the calf with her 18-inch long tongue, and the calf stood up and started nursing within 30 minutes after birth. "It's really astonishing how a huge animal like that ... how delicately and in such a nurturing way she approaches caring for her calf," Leone added.

The conservation center is now inviting suggestions to name the giraffe.

The Rothschild giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis Rothschild) are found in Africa and are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. There are less than 670 individual Rothschild giraffes left in the wild; about 40 percent live in National Parks and estates in Kenya and 60 percent in Uganda. Farming practices have been blamed for the low number of these giraffes.