Giraffe calf at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo name revealed as Viv

When she was just two days old, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's newest addition was already a little firecracker.
"We were all like, 'Holy moly!' She stood in 35 or 37 minutes, which is the fastest that we have ever seen a giraffe calf stand up," said senior lead animal keeper Amy Schilz. "The first time she stood she had it down, so she was walking around. She’s also been climbing over the top of her mom when her mom is sleeping."
Following zoo tradition, the little one received her name after turning 30 days old. On Tuesday, her name was announced as Viv!
The calf was born at 1:20 p.m. on July 6 before an audience of thousands worldwide watching via live stream. She's already handling her fame like a pro.
"She's great with guests," Schilz said.
And as long as mom and baby continue to thrive post-birth, her fans will be allowed to visit in quiet, managed groups.
The zoo announced Msitu was in labor approximately two hours before she gave birth. The zoo said of the labor process:
The bouncing baby girl came into the world standing a whopping 6 feet tall and weighing somewhere between 150-200 pounds. Her height is on the tall end for a calf -- calves are generally born 5 and 6 feet tall.
"She looks to be doing really great. She seems like a super strong calf. She’s nursing really frequently. She’s been laying up and down. Those are two big things we watch for," animal keeper Rachel Hahn said.
Msitu's
in May. Her calf is the 201st born at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
The zoo's 200th calf, Penny, was humanely euthanized at just a few months old due to
. The loss of Penny hit the zoo hard, making the birth Saturday especially poignant.
“Everybody is smiling ear to ear, just really really happy that it seemed to go so great," Schilz said.














