Baby giraffe named after the first person to have the COVID vaccination
Keepers at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo named the baby giraffe ‘Margaret’
Last updated 11th Dec 2020
A baby Giraffe born on Tuesday morning at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo has been called Margaret.
The female calf was born at the same time as the first COVID-19 vaccine was given to 90-year-old Margaret Keenan, during the early hours of Tuesday morning (8/12)
On what has been a tough year for ZSL Whipsnade Zoo staff called it 'the day of hope'.
Margaret is the second calf to be born to mum Luna and was born as part of the international conservation breeding programme for the species.
Team Leader Mark Holden said:
“2020 has been a challenging year for the world, and the arrival of our precious giraffe calf on the same day – and actually at the same time! - as the much-anticipated COVID-19 vaccination was first administered feels like a real moment of hope – and one we are so keen to celebrate and remember.
“Here at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo we have keenly felt the pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we and our sister site ZSL London Zoo, were forced to close for a total of 16 weeks each, putting huge financial strain on our charity and our global conservation efforts.”
The team said Margaret took her first wobbly steps within just an hour of being born.
Mark Holden continued;
“Just as the first vaccine has given people across the UK new hope, our new arrival brings new hope for this endangered species. With fewer than 9,000 individuals living in the wild, this little one’s arrival is a vital boost to the numbers of this Endangered species.”
“We very much hope that Margaret Keenan, will be able to come in and visit her namesake one day soon, so we can introduce them in person!”
It costs 10,000 a month to feed and care for the giraffe herd at Whipsnade alone and during the pandemic ZSL and its Zoos lost almost £20 million due to closures and caps on visitor numbers and have recently launched a fundraising appeal to help.