Keepers at Chester Zoo are celebrating another adorable arrival before the end of 2016.

A rare and endangered Rothschild's giraffe was born at the attraction on Boxing Day.

It comes just over a week since the zoo welcomed baby Asian elephant Indali-Hi-Way.

The giraffe is still an 'it' at this stage, as the calf has yet to be sexed and named.

The six-foot-tall youngster, whose parents are first-time mum Tula and dad Meru, was up on its feet soon after being born at 7am on December 26.

Pictures of a rare Rothschild giraffe calf born at Chester Zoo on Boxing Day

Giraffes team manager Sarah Roffe said the birth was ‘the best Christmas gift we could have ever wished for’.

She said: “Rothschild’s giraffes are highly endangered and so the arrival of a new calf is a major cause for celebration.

“When it gets a little more used to its long legs it will be introduced to the rest of the herd but, for now, it’s important that mum and calf spend a few days together striking up those early bonds.

Pictures of a rare Rothschild giraffe calf born at Chester Zoo on Boxing Day

“They are very much under threat in the wild, so it’s vital that our new calf helps us to throw a spotlight on this amazing species.

“Hopefully, our not-so-little arrival can generate more awareness of the huge pressures that Rothschild’s giraffes face in the wild.”

Recent estimates suggest that less than 1,600 individual Rothschilds remain in the wild, primarily as a result of poaching and habitat loss and they are classed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Pictures of a rare Rothschild giraffe calf born at Chester Zoo on Boxing Day

In the last 45 years the population in Kidepo Valley National Park (KVNP) in Uganda has reduced by over 90%. They are also known as the baringo or Ugandan giraffe.

Mammals curator Tim Rowlands said: “Our giraffe keepers have been out to Africa to lend their expertise and knowhow to an extremely important project which is aiming to improve the outlook for the species.

“Initiatives like this really show the role that modern zoos play in animal conservation and it will give us a better understanding of how we can help protect the species and its future.”

Pictures of a rare Rothschild giraffe calf born at Chester Zoo on Boxing Day