She was born less than two weeks ago but already stands at six feet, four inches tall.
Cricket, a giraffe calf born April 14 at the Denver Zoo, can now be seen at the zoo’s giraffe yard along with her family.
Cricket’s parents, mother Heshimu and father Dikembe, watch after her in the yard. Her brother, Timber, was born at the zoo in August of 2008.
Giraffes, the world’s tallest land mammal, can grow up to 17 feet tall, according to a Denver Zoo media release. An adult female giraffe can weigh up to 2,600 pounds. So far, Cricket weighs in at 170 pounds.
During the first two years of a giraffe’s life, it doubles in height to about 12 feet tall, the zoo said. At that rate, visitors can just about watch Cricket grow up before their very eyes.
Located in Denver’s City Park, the zoo is open to the public every day of the year. The zoo admission gate opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m.
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Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
