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Marwell Zoological Park welcomes second baby giraffe

Marwell Zoological Park, near Winchester, is celebrating the birth of two baby giraffes within a month. The latest arrival was born on Friday 6th June and Keepers at the conservation charity have called her Tiye after a beautiful queen of Ancient Egypt. Tiye, who is already over 6ft tall, is being looked after by her mum, Mary. The name also means beautiful and gorgeous.

She joins baby Christa, who is being reared by her mum, Matilda. Born on Wednesday 14th May, Christa's name has been derived from her father, Christopher who sadly passed away last year. Both babies are doing well and can be seen in the family herd at Marwell.

Tiye and Christa's arrival took a long time as giraffes are pregnant for around 15 months. Keepers kept a close eye on both mums during this time and were delighted when both babies were born without any complications. Head keeper for the giraffes, Ian Goodwin said:

"We are thrilled that Christa and Tiye are doing so well. Christa is full of energy and Tiye is looking every inch like her mum and dad as she has inherited their attractive dark markings."

Matilda and Mary are both very successful mums. Christa is Matilda's fifth calf. Her youngest son, Taharqa, can also be seen in the family herd. Mary is also mum to another giraffe, JaJa, who is still living with the family group at Marwell.

Keepers hope that in the future Matilda will breed with Kismet, Marwell's recently arrived new male. Matilda and Kismet are pure bred Rothschild's giraffes, a species of giraffe that are in danger of extinction. It is believed that there are only around 600 Rothschild giraffes left in a few protected areas in Kenya and in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda.

Notes to editors

For further media information please contact Helen Jeffreys, Marwell Zoological Park Media Relations Officer. Email: helenj@marwell.org.ukPhone: 01962 777947

Mary is 15 years old. Tiye was the Nubian queen of Kemet (Ancient Egypt) (1415-1340 B.C.). Queen Tiye is regarded as one of the most influential Queens ever to rule Kemet.

Matilda is 11 years old and was named after the wife of the twelfth century king Stephen. She is the daughter of Dribbles and Harry. Dribbles lived to be the oldest giraffe in the UK and died at the estimated age of 33.

Baby giraffes when born typically weigh 50-70 kg and are 6ft in height. Despite their towering size, giraffes have the same number of vertebrae in their necks as a human being - seven.

Marwell Zoological Park was founded in 1972. The Park is owned and operated by Marwell Preservation Trust: a registered charity dedicated to the conservation of biological diversity. Registered Charity Number 275433.

Marwell Zoological Park is dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and other natural resources and works to conserve species and their habitats, whilst advocating environmental and social responsibility in support of these goals.

Marwell Conservation seeks to address causes of extinction and manages vulnerable populations of threatened species to ensure their survival. This is achieved through a range of species and habitat conservation programmes locally to Marwell's base in southern England and internationally, with a particular focus in Africa.

Marwell is a member of the British and Irish Association of zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA). BIAZA represents its member collections and promotes the values of good zoos and aquariums.

Marwell Zoological Park, Colden Common, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 1JH. www.marwell.org.uk