Much to the relief of anxious keepers, the zoo’s first calf, a bouncing baby giraffe, was delivered just three hours later.

“The female calf was born at approximately 2.20pm following a three-hour labour in view of the visiting public,” Mogo Zoo general manager John Appleby said yesterday.

“Within half an hour of the birth occurring the calf attempted its first awkward steps under her mother’s watchful eye and, shortly thereafter, keepers witnessed the newborn calf suckling.”

The Rothschild giraffe, also known as the Baringo giraffe, lives in protected areas of Kenya and northern Uganda.

Its gestation period is between 400 and 460 days and is generally followed by the birth of a single calf, although twins occasionally occur.

Numbers in the wild have dwindled to just 200 in recent years, making the Rothschild the second-most endangered giraffe subspecies in the world.

Zoo keeper Sophie Miller said the recent birth would play a “modest but essential” role in securing the future of the species.

“We are all extremely excited and relieved,” she said.

“Shani is displaying wonderful mothering skills, and we’re optimistic that this breeding pair will maintain an active role in the global breeding program for this species.”