Watch: Busch Gardens Introduces New Bright 'Spot' On Serengeti

TAMPA, FL — Guests at Busch Gardens Tampa can now “spot” a new face on the park’s Serengeti plain.

Born earlier this year, Cedora, a 2-month-old female giraffe calf, just made her debut on the park’s 65-acre, multi-species habitat.

After spending some quality time bonding behind the scenes with her mother, Celina, Cedora is becoming familiar with the rest of Busch Gardens’ giraffe herd, including Beacon, a male giraffe calf born last summer.

As guests visit the park this spring break season, they can get a look at the giraffes on board the Serengeti Express train or by booking a Serengeti Safari, which includes the opportunity to hand-feed one of the animals.

Reticulated giraffes are an endangered species with only 15,780 remaining in their naturally occurring environment. Wild populations have declined by more than 50 percent in the last 30 years due to habitat loss and hunting, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. As a result of this decline, the reticulated giraffe was added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List and listed as endangered in 2018. In recent years, however, numbers across northern Kenya appear to be increasing with improved community and private land conservation.

The giraffe has one of the longest gestation periods in the animal kingdom - about 15 months, nearly twice as long as a human baby is in the womb. The babies are born front feet first with their neck and head stretched over the knees as if they are in flight. The superman position helps break the fall when they drop out of the mother to the ground 6 1/2 feet below.

Newborn calves weigh about 132 pounds and stand about 6 feet tall, making them one of the largest babies in the animal kingdom. Babies stay with their mothers 18 to 24 months before venturing out on their own.

Their numbers are on the decline with only 15,780 giraffes remaining in the wild, about half the number that existed 30 years ago,

It is easy to see why this species is called the reticulated giraffe. Its rich orange-brown patches are clearly defined by a network of striking white lines, which continue the entire length of their legs.

The new calf is the latest success story regarding Busch Gardens’ participation in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan. The mission of the SSP is to cooperatively manage specific species populations within AZA-accredited facilities.

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• Busch Gardens Gives Glimpse Of Adorable Newborn Giraffe