In this June 19, 2020 made available by Bush Gardens Tampa Bay, a newly born giraffe is attended by his mother in Tampa, Fla. The baby boy giraffe is an endangered reticulated giraffe. (Bush Gardens Tampa Bay via AP)
June 22, 2020 - 9:02 AM
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - It's a boy for Bea, a giraffe at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay who gave birth Friday.
The Busch Gardens zoological team made the announcement on Sunday, a couple days late, but on an appropriate day: World Giraffe Day.
Bea is a 14-year-old reticulated giraffe, an endangered species with only about 15,000 remaining in the wild, according to park officials. Their numbers have been declining because of hunting and encroaching development.
The birth was a longtime coming — 15 months, to be exact. Bea gave birth twice before, to Binty in 2014 and Amani a year later.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020