The Saigon Zoo has welcomed a new citizen: the first giraffe which was born at the zoo.

Mother and child.

The baby giraffe was born on January 15, weighing sixty kilograms and two metres high.

This is the first time a mother African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) has delivered a baby giraffe in Vietnam. The mother and child are in good health.

The zoo imported a couple of giraffes from Thailand in October 2004. The couple is six years old now. When they came to the zoo, they were around three metres high and over 150kg in weight each. But before giving birth, the giraffe mother was around 1,000kg.

The two giraffes were priced at VND 1.4 billion (US $82,500).

The mother and child are now living in a special cage far from visitors.

Vinh Giang