A baby giraffe

Visitors to a zoo in England have to look up to see the latest new born animal. It's a rare Rothschild giraffe and it is 5ft (1.5m) tall. This story voiced by Yvonne Archer:

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There are just 600 Rothschild giraffes left in the wild in Kenya and Uganda. Mike Jordan, Chester Zoo's Curator of Mammals and Birds, said that she is coming along very well and that they are delighted with her progress. He added that the zoo has a good track record when it comes to breeding giraffes and that they are delighted to welcome another to the fold."

Molly is the first Rothschild giraffe to be born at the zoo and her birth came just a day after the birth of an Asian elephant calf.

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debut
first appearance

enclosure
(here) place where animals are kept

spokesperson
the worker who represents the organisation when speaking to journalists

in the wild
living in their natural environment

Curator
person who is in charge of a collection of (here) animals

mammals
animals which have hair or fur and are fed by milk when they are young

coming along
developing, making progress

track record
history of achievements or successes

fold
group or community

calf
young large mammal (usually cow)

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For teachers
Lesson plan based on the story (36k)