KUWAIT: Kuwait Zoo welcomed a new member yesterday with the birth of a baby giraffe. This is not the first time that a giraffe was born at the zoo, yet it is still considered a special event. "We do not know if the baby giraffe is male or female yet, as we were not able to get very close to it," a staff member at the Zoo told the Kuwait Times. "We have to give it a chance to walk. Also, we want to avoid upsetting the mother, which would happen if we came too close to her baby. We are happy with this delivery, and the zoo plans to keep the baby giraffe."

The new born giraffe was in fact the second baby animal to be born in Kuwait Zoo in the new year. Earlier yesterday, a female Arabian oryx gave birth to a baby; the first ever to be born in Kuwait. This is important because the Arabian oryx is considered an endangered species, according to the zookeeper. "This is the first time to have an oryx born in our zoo. It is a rare and endangered species, whose original habitat is the Arab Peninsula. They are trying to increase the animal's numbers in the UAE. We feel lucky to have the newborn oryx," he added.

By Nawara Fattahova