Meet Winston, the newest giraffe calf at Riverbanks Zoo.

The male giraffe was born in late October.

This was a surprise arrival to zookeepers.

“Winston’s arrival was quite a shock, but we are very happy to have him as part of our herd,” John Davis, curator of mammals at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, said in a news release this morning.

Mom Sharon, like other female giraffes in the zoo’s herd, were on birth control.

It is the seventh calf born at the zoo since February 2009.

Winston weighed almost 100 pounds at birth; he’ll be 18 feet tall and weigh 2,600 pounds when he grows up.

Winston is the third offspring to parents Sharon and Charlie. Lewis, the pair’s oldest, now resides at Bush Gardens Tampa. Isabella, their second, remains at Riverbanks.

Staff Reports