Autumn arrives twice on Sunday

Broadalbin

Just days after its birth, Dave and Pat Eglin's baby is tall enough for the NBA.

But a giraffe can't guard LeBron James.

The Eglins, owners of Adirondack Animal Land zoo, welcomed a 6-foot-4-inch giraffe on Sunday morning, the third giraffe born at the zoo and first female.

Dave Eglin said that at about 10 a.m. the mother, April — also known as "Tiny" — went into labor. "Only about 30 minutes later we had two front feet sticking out," he said. "By 10 of 11, we had a nose and head. At 11:15, we had about a 135-pound female baby giraffe."

Autumn — named after the autumnal equinox on which she was born — is the first baby giraffe the Eglins will keep. The first two, both males, were sold because the father, Stretch, would have abused them, a problem not uncommon among male giraffes in captivity, Dave Eglin said. Autumn has little to worry about, though.

"They'll all get along fine," he said of April, Stretch and Autumn.

Autumn joins a community of more than 400 animals at the interactive Route 30 zoo, which is open between mid-May and Labor Day and offers walking tours and safari-style rides that allow for close encounters, Dave Eglin said. Among the beasts are camels, kangaroos, monkeys, deer, buffalo and ostriches.

With fall weather bearing down on the Capital Region, Autumn will join her parents inside a 4,000-square-foot barn that has incandescent lighting, heated floors, a filtering system that circulates fresh air every 15 minutes and toasty 70-degree temperatures, Dave Eglin said. Three similar buildings house other animals during the colder months.

Autumn won't need to be broken into captivity. Dave Eglin said Stretch is a sixth-generation domestic born and bred giraffe and April is an eighth-generation domestic born and bred giraffe, meaning Autumn will adjust quickly to captivity. He said Autumn has already imprinted on the him and his wife, despite the fact that Autumn is the size of a tall human.

Autumn is still pint-sized compared to her parents, though. April is 13 feet tall and Stretch is 16.

mhamilton@timesunion.com • 518-454-5431 • @matt_hamilton10