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June 20, 2023, Chicago, Illinois, United States: VIDEO AVAILABLE: CONTACT INFO@COVERMG.COM TO RECEIVE**..This image shows: Arnieta, a 16-year-old reticulated giraffe at Brookfield Zoo, is due to give birth to a calf sometime between mid-July and late August...On Wednesday 21 June 2023, World Giraffe Day, the Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) announced Brookfield Zooâ??s reticulated giraffe Arnieta is pregnant. ...The 16-year-old mother is due to deliver sometime between mid-July and late August. Since learning of her pregnancy last summer, Zoo veterinarians and animal care staff have been making every effort to help ensure Arnieta is successful in maintaining this pregnancy and delivering a healthy calf....Arnieta was paired with Ato, who arrived at Brookfield Zoo in 2017 when he was nearly 2 years old. His arrival was based on a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariumsâ?? (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is a cooperative population management program for select species in accredited North American zoos and aquariums. Each plan manages the breeding of a species to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable. After waiting a few years until Ato reached sexual maturity, Arnieta conceived but experienced miscarriages in 2020 and 2021, both in the first trimester..Following the miscarriage in 2021, CZS staff began working with reproductive experts at Omahaâ??s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium to monitor and evaluate Arnietaâ??s urine hormones to identify if she was cycling normally. Test results confirmed she had the ability to potentially become pregnant. Then, in July 2022, animal care staff began seeing signs that Arnieta might be pregnant, and urine samples from the hopefully expectant mom were once again sent to the Nebraska zoo, where Dr. Monica Stoops, director of reproductive sciences, and her team reported a posit (Credit Image: © Cover Images via ZUMA Pr
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