BATON ROUGE - An adorable new addition has been welcomed to BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo this week.

A healthy female reticulated giraffe was born on August 31 to 8-year-old Rosie and 15-year-old Rowan. She is the 21st giraffe born at the zoo after Burreaux, who was born on December 26, 2019.

The reticulated giraffe species is considered endangered in the wild due to human poaching and encroachment on natural habitats. In human care, their life expectancy is 20 years. However, the mortality rate for calves under six months old is under 50%, so zoo staff is keeping a close eye on the baby and mother.

"Our keeper, curator, and veterinary staff are incredibly skilled and are monitoring the mother and calf closely," said Zoo Director Phil Frost. "The progress of the calf over the coming few days and weeks will be crucial."

Many conservationists call the slow decline in the species a "silent extinction" because it almost goes unnoticed. Today there are only 68,000 giraffes left in the wild.

Anyone wanting to know more about the species can click here.