Zoo visitors look up to new baby

Zookeepers are delighted to welcome Molly to the fold

Visitors to a north west zoo have to look up to its youngest arrival, a rare Rothschild giraffe which stands 5ft (1.5m) tall.

The baby female, who was born on 13 November, has been named Molly by Chester Zoo staff.

Molly made her debut weighing 11 stone (70kg) and was walking around her enclosure within half an hour, said a zoo spokesperson.

There are just 600 Rothschild giraffes left in the wild in Kenya and Uganda.

Mike Jordan, Chester Zoo's Curator of Mammals and Birds, said: "She is coming along very well and we are delighted with her progress.

"The zoo has a good track record when it comes to breeding giraffes and we are delighted to welcome another to the fold."

Molly is the first Rothschild giraffe to be born at the zoo and her birth came just a day after the birth of an Asian elephant calf.

The baby elephant is to be named in a competition on the children's television programme Blue Peter in December.