Ballybrack, a six-foot baby giraffe, is being hand reared by the keepers as he has been unable to feed from his mother since his birth on 7 January.

Ballybrack is being hand reared at the zoo

It was not because he was not tall enough or that he was lazy. It was simply because he just did not know how to.

The keepers are using donated milk to feed Ballybrack, the 22nd giraffe to be born at the north Belfast enclosure in the last 10 years.

And the hungry little baby consumes more than eight litres of milk each day.

Supermarket chain Tesco have been donating Channel Island milk since Ballybrack's birth - the fourth time it has donated milk to the baby giraffes at the zoo.

Belfast Zoo manager Mark Challis said: "We are delighted with our new arrival and are very grateful to Tesco donating all the milk.

"A big thank you to all the giraffe keepers for their dedication and time spent feeding our new baby".

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The giraffes at Belfast Zoo are all a Rothschild breed and are part of a European Breeding Programme.

There are now 12 giraffes in the zoo's herd, most of whom were born there.

Alyn Cairns the zoo's curator said: "The elephant and giraffe team are absolutely delighted with our two latest births and it is a great start to 2006.

"We are looking forward to two further births later in the summer".

The zoo has now developed a tradition of naming its baby giraffes after towns beginning with the word Bally.

Seven-year-old Catherine McNicoll from our Lady of Lourdes Primary School on the Antrim Road was given the honour of naming the latest addition, after winning a competition to do so.

She chose the name because Ballybrack means speckled town.

As a special treat all her primary three class got to meet Ballybrack's family, including his proud parents, Erin and Finn at Belfast Zoo.