CUTE: Baby giraffe born at Sacramento Zoo

(Gray News/TMX) – A California zoo is celebrating the new addition to its giraffe family after a female giraffe calf was born over the weekend.

The Sacramento Zoo said mother Shani had been under maternity watch for several days. She was moved to the maternity stall of the giraffe barn on Jan. 18 when zookeepers noticed signs of her soon giving birth.

However, the zookeepers said the birth didn’t happen the way they thought it would.

“Although animal care and veterinary teams were suspicious that she might still be pregnant, just not on her original timeline, there were no definitive signs until very recently,” the zoo said in a statement on Monday.

The zoo said the baby giraffe was finally born on Jan. 22 and shared photos of the mother and newborn getting to know each other in the giraffe barn.

Zookeepers said the baby is healthy and nursing well.

The zoo expects the mother and calf to be kept from public viewing as they continue to bond over the next few weeks, but visitors may be able to catch a glimpse of them in the sideyard of their habitat.