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Living Treasures Wild Animal Park Welcomes Baby Giraffe

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NEW CASTLE (KDKA) – The Living Treasures Wild Animal Park has welcomed a new baby giraffe.

According to a press release, the calf was born on Sunday, Aug. 27. Following an exam, the calf, named Calvin, weighed in at 145 pounds and was 6-feet-3-inches tall.

"The labor went very smoothly. He was born at 5:31 p.m. on the 27th," said Erin Shaffer, of Living Treasures. "We've had giraffes for five years, but he's the very first calf we've had born, and he's the first calf in western Pennsylvania in many years."

calvin giraffe
(Photo Courtesy: Living Treasures Wild Animal Park)

Earlier this year, April the giraffe captivated a nation and her webcam went viral. Well, April is actually Calvin's grandmother.

April is the mother of Calvin's father, 5-year-old Levi. The calf's mother, Blue Jeans, is also 5 years old. Both are first time parents.

"We've had them here at our park since 2012," Shaffer said of Calvin's parents. "We hand-raised them and this is where they grew up."

Shaffer says Calvin and his mom are bonding.

"They are bonding very well. He's nursing very well and she's settling into the role of being a mother very well," she said.

The park says they'll be doing something special in honor of Calvin's arrival.

"In celebration of the first giraffe calf born at our park, we plan to raise money for the Giraffe Conservation Foundation throughout this fall," Park owner and Director, Adam Guiher said in a statement.

Calvin hasn't made his public debut yet, but park officials will be posting updates on their Facebook page.

"We hope it'll be soon," said Shaffer. "It's going to depend on the weather and how he's feeling and how they're bonding together and nursing. We're going to be doing updates on our Facebook every day so we can let people know ahead of time when the baby will be able to be out."

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