Baby boom at Florida zoo with arrivals of 2 giraffe

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - There is a baby boom at of giraffe in Florida.

Two reticulated giraffe calves - a male and a female - were born this week at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. The births mark the 41st giraffe calves born at the zoo.

The Florida Times-Union reports Friday's birth was the fourth for Luna.

Zoo officials said Luna wasn't in labor Friday morning so they felt confident in letting her roam in the exhibit area with the rest of the herd. Staff members kept watch because they knew she was near the end of her pregnancy. When the calf's front hooves appeared in the early afternoon, the rest of the herd was moved away for privacy. But the female calf was born in the exhibit area as visitors to the zoo watched.

A giraffe was also born last week at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on Thanksgiving Day. 

He was born weighing 150 pounds and standing 6-feet-tall. Mother Celina and the unnamed baby are both doing well.