Third giraffe calf of the season born Friday

Springfield, Mo. – The holiday weekend brought more to be thankful for at Dickerson Park Zoo. Staff monitoring the giraffes anticipating Emma’s delivery noted she gave birth Friday evening to a male calf between 7 and 10:30 p.m.

The calf is the third giraffe born at Dickerson Park Zoo since mid-September and the first for 7-year-old Emma. Emma's calf is particularly notable since Emma’s mother, Gidget, is also among the herd. Gidget's 11^th calf was born 12 days earlier. This is the first time in the zoo’s history that three generations of giraffes will be in the yard.

Zookeepers gave the honor of naming this calf to a staff member who celebrated her 40^th anniversary with the zoo in mid-November. The name will be announced in the coming days. Emma and her calf are mingling with the adult females of the herd and two female calves, and will be in the yard as the weather and temperatures allow.

Dickerson Park Zoo is open daily 10 a.m.-4 p.m., weather permitting. The zoo will be closed on Christmas Day, New Year's Day and when the walkways are covered with ice or snow. For more information, visit the zoo online at www.dickersonparkzoo.org, or call the zoo's information hotline, 417-864-1800.

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Dickerson Park Zoo is a division of the Springfield-Greene County Park Board and is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA).With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.