The name the giraffe calf that was born in 2001 at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington is Jana, which means “large child” or “fine child” in Swahili.
Jana was the second girl offspring for Griff. Griff has also birthed four males.
The survival rate of a baby giraffe in the wild is relatively low. Only about a quarter of all giraffes born in the wild make it to adulthood.
This is mostly because they are a favored prey among the big cats and jackals.
Although the mother giraffe puts up a pretty good fight to save her baby, the predators usually win and are rewarded a meal.
