TAMPA, Fla. — Editor's Note: The video above is file footage from when Disney World debuted Jabari the giraffe calf last year. Click here to read more about that.
Just in time for Mother's Day, Busch Gardens announced one of its reticulated giraffes is pregnant.
This will be 14-year old Bea's third calf, previously giving birth to Binty in 2014 and Amani in 2015. The park said she is expected to give birth by the end of this month.
Giraffes follow an average 15-month gestation period. When the calf is born, it will be at least five feet tall and weigh around 100 pounds.
"The Busch Gardens Team is very excited to welcome the new calf and hopeful for a healthy delivery," the park wrote in a news release.
Bea’s pregnancy is part of Busch Gardens’ participation in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan. The group's mission is to manage specific species populations in AZA-accredited facilities.
But, this announcement is bigger than just a birth because reticulated giraffes are an endangered species. Busch Gardens says there are only about 15,000 remaining in the wild due to a more than 50 percent population decline in the last 30 years.
The main reason for the decline? Habitat loss and hunting.
Busch Gardens locations have been closed since March 16 due to the coronavirus. A reopening date has yet to be set.
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