Before Gail the giraffe arrived, her keepers were busy making her expected landing a little smoother. Extra bedding went into the birthing stall, and overnight checks helped the animal care team keep watch over her mother, Kumi. For a newborn giraffe, entering the world involves quite a drop, followed by the challenge of figuring out those very long legs.
Gail wasted little time once she arrived. At 9:32 a.m. on Sept. 14, 2026, just 30 minutes after her birth, she stood for the first time.
The nearly 6-foot-tall, 119-pound female is Brevard Zoo’s first giraffe calf in six years. And there’s a family connection behind that milestone — the last baby born there was her father.
“Gail has already captured the hearts of her keepers. She is very curious and has been observed investigating her surroundings under the watchful eye of her mom, Kumi,” Brevard Zoo’s Curator of Animals Kimberly Castrucci told Discover. “We are excited to continue to watch her grow and learn and develop her personality more!”
Meet Gail, Brevard Zoo’s Newest Baby Giraffe
Born to 12-year-old Kumi and 6-year-old Mapenzi, Gail arrived in the zoo’s behind-the-scenes Africa Barn. Zoo supporters Mark and Nancy Tomassone named her in honor of Nancy’s mother.
Gail and mother at Brevard Zoo.
(Image Courtesy of Brevard Zoo)
Other members of the herd could remain close during her birth, with female giraffes Aurora and Tisa, who is also pregnant, having access to a neighboring stall.
Explore All OptionsFor keepers who watched Mapenzi arrive in 2020, seeing him become a father adds another layer to the celebration. Some members of the team have now welcomed two generations of the same giraffe family.
“We are fortunate to have a handful of keepers who have been here to witness both Mapenzi and Gail join our herd. It feels like a full circle moment where our last baby makes the next baby to be born. It is truly something special,” Castrucci said to Discover.
How Keepers Prepared for the Giraffe Birth
Gail’s arrival called for weeks of preparation, from overnight monitoring of her mother to making sure the birthing stall was ready for the roughly 6-foot drop that would welcome her into the world.
“In the weeks leading up to her birth, our animal care team began putting extra bedding in her birthing stall. Newborn giraffe calves have a 6-foot drop from their mothers at birth that breaks the umbilical cord, encourages their first breath, and jumpstarts their ability to begin walking within an hour after birth. The extra bedding adds to their comfort as well as mom’s,” explained Castrucci to Discover.
A recent veterinary examination found Gail appeared to be doing well. For now, she and Kumi are staying in the barn, where they can bond. Their comfort will determine when Gail meets the rest of the herd and enters the habitat where visitors can see her.
Why This Masai Giraffe Birth Matters
Gail also belongs to a much larger conservation story. Masai giraffes, recognizable by their irregular, jagged patches, face habitat loss, poaching, and prolonged drought in Kenya and Tanzania.
Gail and her mother at Brevard Zoo.
(Image Courtesy of Brevard Zoo)
According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, expanding farms, settlements, roads, and fencing can divide the landscape these animals move through. Protecting them requires both suitable habitat and connections between those areas, including across national borders.
Kumi and Mapenzi were paired through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan for Masai giraffes.
“As an organization accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Brevard Zoo participates in a Species Survival Program, which determines the pairing of species in human care with the goal to ensure healthy, genetically diverse safeguard populations in AZA-accredited organizations. These safeguard populations are essentially the back-up plan if a population in their natural habitat collapses,” Castrucci told Discover.
For Gail, the immediate priorities are smaller — bond with Kumi, investigate her surroundings, and get comfortable on her feet.
Read More: A Zebra and Giraffe Became Best Friends — and It’s Not as Unusual as It Seems
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- This article references information from the Brevard Zoo: Welcoming the Zoo’s First Giraffe Calf in 6 Years
- This article references information from the Giraffe Conservation Foundation: Masai Giraffe Conservation in Kenya
