Giraffe birth at Whipsnade Zoo 'vital' for conservation

Video has captured a new-born giraffe bonding with its mother at a zoo after a birth hailed as a success for conservation.

The calf was born at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire on Remembrance Day and was named Wilfred after World War One poet Wilfred Owen.

The zoo said keepers were celebrating his arrival as "a vital addition to the international conservation breeding programme for reticulated giraffes, a species classified as endangered."

Deputy Team Leader Michael Hepher said: "He’s certainly a big boy – the biggest new-born giraffe I’ve ever seen. We haven’t officially measured him yet, but he’s definitely taller than me and I am six foot."