Say Hello to Mawe: A 3-week-old Giraffe Calf Gets a Name at the San Diego Zoo
SAN DIEGO (Dec. 17, 2021) – Just in time for the holidays, a newborn giraffe calf at the San Diego Zoo has received the perfect gift—a name. The 3-week-old female calf will be called Mawe (pronounced “maw way”), meaning stones in Swahili. She was born to first-time mom Saba; and at birth, she weighed a little under 150 pounds and stood approximately 5 feet, 10 inches tall. Mawe has been introduced to the other members of the herd, and both mom and baby are doing well.
Science teams have estimated that fewer than 100,000 giraffes are left in their native habitats—a decrease of more than 40 percent over the last 20 years. It is believed that the downward trend is due to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and poaching in certain regions. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has partnered with numerous conservation organizations on large-scale conservation projects, in an effort to slow and eventually stop the continued decline of giraffe populations.
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Video of: Giraffe calf, Mawe, at the San Diego Zoo
Photos of: Giraffe calf, Mawe, at the San Diego Zoo. Credit: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
