HOUSTON (KIAH) – Imagine going to your job and there is a surprise waiting as you walk in. That’s what happened to the giraffe caretakers at the Houston Zoo. As they checked on the animals, they found a baby giraffe. Houston Zoo announced the new edition Wednesday morning.

While the zookeepers knew their 9-year-old giraffe, Kamili, was pregnant, but they did not know when she will go into labor. The baby giraffe, named Tino by longtime supporters of the zoo, weighs 160 pounds and stands at six feet tall. The zoo said as Tino matures, he could reach a height nearly matching or passing his 16-foot-tall father, 6-year-old Zawadi.

The Houston Zoo was founded in 1922, with the mission to connect communities with animals and inspiring action to save wildlife. The animal species is already extinct in at least seven countries in Africa. The zoo raises funds for locals in Africa to protect giraffes in the wild from illegal hunters, provide medical support, and patrol herds of giraffes. Every person who purchases an admission ticket to the zoo will help save giraffes and other animals in the wild. The organization supports over 40 wildlife conservation projects in 27 countries.

The Zoo is always welcoming volunteers. If you want to get involved, check out their website.

Here are some facts about giraffes according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.

• There are four species of giraffe: Northern, Southern, Reticulated, and Masai (which is Baby Tino)
• Female giraffes give birth standing up. Their young can standup within an hour of birth.
• In some populations, over 50% of baby giraffes do not survive their first year.
• Giraffes do not have horns, they are called ossicones, which are formed by cartilage.