Baby giraffe gets first outside look at Illinois zoo (VIDEO)

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

BROOKFIELD, Ill. • After a long winter cooped up inside, Dave is getting his first taste of the outside world — and he's running with it.

The five-month-old giraffe seemed unfazed by the chilly spring weather as he jumped and kicked up his heels while exploring his outside exhibit this week at Brookfield Zoo in suburban Chicago.

The zoo lets the giraffes out when it's 45 degrees and sunny or 50 degrees and raining. Though their species is native to Africa, they can withstand those temperatures because they were born in in the U.S.

But unlike Dave, the adult giraffes were much more subdued than usual. Amy Roberts, the zoo's curator of mammals, says they, like many humans, may be waiting for warmer temperatures to really let loose.