Baby giraffe debuts at Calgary Zoo

The Calgary Zoo's newest baby giraffe made her public debut Tuesday, one week after her birth.

The female calf, which has not yet been named, stepped out into the sunshine with mother, Carrie, on Tuesday and enjoyed a cautious walk around an outside yard. Zookeeper Mona Keith says she's healthy and busy discovering her new surroundings.

"She's very inquisitive, very curious because she did come out into the yard," said Keith. "Her mom is a little nervous and I think her mom wanted her to go back inside.... She has a very bold spirit, I would say."

The calf is being kept separate from the rest of the giraffe herd at the zoo in a nursery area with her mother until they all get used to the new dynamic, said Keith.

"Our other giraffes, Mardi, Tenga, and Richard have all seen the new calf, and she's been brave enough to touch noses with a couple of them so far," said Cathy Gaviller, director of conservation, education, and research at the zoo.

This is the second giraffe baby at the zoo since Richard was born to mother Mardi in 2006.

Giraffes are not considered endangered but have been identified as a species whose population is in decline due to hunting, said zoo officials.