Baby Mkali welcomed to the family

National Zoo & Aquarium announces the birth of a female giraffe calf named Mkali, which is a Swahili word for bright.

Transcript

00:00 [indistinct chatter]

00:20 Yeah, so this front area is her favourite for sure.

00:23 The very first day we put her out here, she plonked herself right behind this log here.

00:27 She didn't have her head to anybody, she had her back to them,

00:31 but she was like, "Yep, I'm here. Everyone look at me."

00:34 So, yeah, very, very visible.

00:37 And that's not always the case with giraffes.

00:39 Sometimes they do tend to hide a little bit more in the trees and the bushes,

00:42 but no, not Macaulay.

00:44 And do they play with - I mean, how does she play with her brothers?

00:47 Yeah, so a lot of, you know, neck and mouth contact.

00:51 As they get older, she'll do a little bit more interactions in terms of physical,

00:56 so there'll be a bit of sparring with each other.

00:58 They'll chase each other as well, you know, little zoomie laps will get each other excited.

01:03 But just that contact, and you'll see him navigating her around the yard

01:07 and kind of teaching her, "This is where we go," or, you know,

01:09 "When Dad does this, do this," or, "When Mum does this, follow me here."

01:12 So he's very much teaching her the pathways around the enclosure,

01:15 how to go in and out, that kind of stuff.

01:18 Sounds really basic, but it's actually really helpful to us.

01:21 [ Silence ]