Lincoln Children’s Zoo welcomes newest member of giraffe family: Mario

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Lincoln Children’s Zoo welcomed the newest member of its giraffe family: Mario.

Mario was born on June 23, to mom Kendy, zoo officials say.

“I’m incredibly proud of our team here at the Zoo for welcoming not one, not two, but three healthy giraffe calves into the herd this year,” said CEO Even Killeen in a press release. “One of our dreams when we created the expansion of the Zoo was to become a top-notch giraffe breeding facility to aid in the conservation of the species, and we’ve made incredible progress over the last three years. Kendy has been an amazing mother and we’re very excited for everyone to meet our Zoo’s newest resident.”

Within the first hour of Mario’s birth, he was already standing up, measuring about 6-feet-6-inches tall.

Since then, he has grown a couple more inches and now stands 6-feet-9-inches tall.

Visitors can meet Mario starting on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.

Mario is the third giraffe born at the zoo in 2022, following Mosi and Kay.