Shhhh! It's A Surprise Birthday Party For Dobby!
DENVER (CBS4) - The Denver Zoo is getting ready to celebrate a special birthday. Dobby the reticulated giraffe turns three in just a matter of days. Dobby's actual birthday is Feb. 28, but zookeepers are throwing him a surprise party on Monday.
The Denver Zoo fondly remembers his grand, albeit surprise, entrance. Dobby's mother, Kipele, the oldest giraffe at the zoo, was on birth control, so zookeepers didn't see the pregnancy coming.
They say trying to keep this birthday party a secret isn't easy with a extremely curious almost-3-year-old giraffe.
Dobby faced some health hurdles at first; being born underweight and plasma infusions.
During his first birthday celebration Amanda Faliano, one of Dobby's keepers, told CBS4 he quickly adapted to his instant fame.
"It makes us all very happy to see everybody and to see how much they love him," said Faliano.
Fast forward three years, and Dobby is over 12 feet tall and nearly 1,500 lbs. The zoo says his baby teeth are falling out and adult teeth are growing in their place.
"Your wrinkles are my favorite, even when you were tiny you had wrinkles along your belly like your mom and one across you hip!" stated Faliano. "One of the hardest parts about training you is you never want to stop! When the treats are running low and time is winding down, you prefer to lick our clothes and attempt to steal our keys instead of leaving the training area."