Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata has reported the birth of a giraffe calf in the facility, taking the total number of giraffes in the country’s oldest zoo to 10, sources said on Monday.

“The giraffe couple, Savitri and Mangal, have been blessed with a cute baby that is only 12-13 days old,” said a source.

The Central Zoo Authority, India’s apex zoo body that comes under the Union Environment Ministry, has taken note of the new member at Alipore Zoo, said the source. The sex of the cub is yet to be confirmed, as its mother, Savitri, is still nursing the cub, it said.

The new member has not been brought before the visitors as veterinarians in Alipore zoo are monitoring the health of the mother and the cub, said an officer.

In February, another giraffe gave birth to a female cub, Asha, but it died a few days after birth as its mother reportedly refused to feed the offspring.

Though the zoo staff tried to feed the cub with a feeding bottle, Asha was not willing to use the bottle, said a zoo officer.

The good news at Alipore Zoo has come at a time when the facility is overshadowed by a controversy over the alleged disappearance of over 300 animals from the records of the facility. Earlier this month, an NGO moved the Calcutta High Court seeking a probe into the alleged anomalies as the number of animals in the zoo was 672 at the end of the 2023-24 financial year, and it came down to 351 at the start of the 2024-25 financial year.

According to the NGO, there are several unexplained inconsistencies in animal stock figures at the zoo.

Sources in the Forest Department said a report has been sought from the Alipore zoo into the alleged discrepancies within two weeks.