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Mamma Mia, Mona's A Momma!

Zoo Atlanta welcomes baby giraffe

Zoo Atlanta is getting to be more like Romper Room.

The Grant Park attraction said Mona, a 5-year-old female giraffe, gave birth to her first calf early in the day Friday.

The newborn stands around 6 feet tall and is estimated to weigh between 100 and 150 pounds.

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The calf is only the second surviving baby giraffe born at Zoo Atlanta in its 122-year history.

Zuri, born July 13, 2010, to Mona's half-sister, Glenda, was the first. She stands eight feet tall and weighs around 600 pounds. Abu, 5, sired both calves.

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The still-unamed calf joins an ever-growing nursery of notable baby births at Zoo Atlanta: On July 6, Chelsea, a 7-year-old Sumatran tigress, gave birth to a pair of cubs. Last November, 13-year-old Lun Lun, a giant panda, gave birth to Po.

In addition to those births, Zoo Atlanta welcomed a waterbuck, a western lowland gorilla, two red kangaroos, two golden lion tamarins and three warthogs.


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