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Baby Giraffe Born At Bronx Zoo To Make His Public Debut

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There's a new addition to the Bronx Zoo family. A baby Baringo giraffe will be making his public debut in the zoo's African Plains exhibit.

The baby boy, named James Marjani, was born on Sept. 14 and is the first giraffe calf to be born at the zoo since 2009.

James Marjani will be on exhibit intermittently for the first several weeks he adjusts to his new surroundings. Exhibit times will vary.

He's already six feet tall and weighs more than 100 pounds, but by the time he's an adult, zoo officials say he could be more than 17 feet tall and weigh a whopping 4,000 pounds.

Baby giraffe at Bronx Zoo
James Marjani, the baby giraffe born at the Bronx Zoo (credit: Julie Larsen Maher/WCS)

But if you think being born so big is an advantage, think again. Because of the height of an adult giraffe (Giraffes are the tallest animal in the world), babies have at least a six-foot drop from their mothers at birth.

Don't worry though. Baby James Marjani had a heavy layer of straw bedding to help absorb the impact.

Watch a video of the baby giraffe below:

Giraffe Calf at the Bronx Zoo by Wildlife Conservation Society on YouTube

The little giraffe has spent the last several weeks bonding with his mother away from the rest of the herd.

Mother and baby will now be on display with the zoo's six other giraffes.

All of the zoo's giraffes are named in memory of Mr. and Mrs. James Carter, the benefactors of the Carter Giraffe Building.

For more information, visit www.bronxzoo.com.

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