Camera Catches Rare Moment 127 Lb Baby Giraffe Is Born, And The Footage Is Absolutely Breathtaking

Feb 20, 2019 by apost team

When there is news of a pregnancy, the family is often as excited as the expectant mother. In the case of a giraffe, the 15 month gestation period creates a long wait.

Giraffe moms typically only have one baby at a time, and they can only give birth every couple of years.

The size of giraffe babies make births particularly dangerous for their mothers, and breech deliveries are common.

At the West Midland Safari Park, giraffe Arusha went into labor without the keepers noticing. Around 5:45 pm on October 3, 2018, she quickly gave birth to a baby boy giraffe. Cameras in the giraffe exhibit captured the big moment of the baby's birth

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The baby weighed about 127 pounds at delivery and stood about 5'6" tall. Giraffe moms nurse their babies for a couple of years, and they are unlikely to get pregnant while nursing their young. This means that a mom might only have one baby every three or four years.

The animal keepers were thrilled about the birth. To them, every new animal baby is a big deal. They have enjoyed watching the mom care for her baby over the past few months.

The keepers are doing everything that they can in order to ensure that the giraffes have plenty of quiet time together and that both mom and baby are able to thrive. Cameras continue to record the animals so that interested people can watch the videos without disturbing the animals.

Angela Potter, the head of Wildlife at the Park told Birmingham Mail: 

 “With giraffe numbers plummeting by 40 per-cent in the past 15 years, we hope our new calf will inspire action and raise awareness of the issues these animals are facing in the wild. We are really pleased with his progress and are looking forward to watching him grow up amongst his extended family.”

Photography tourism is one way to protect these majestic animals without putting them in harm's way. Poaching also needs to be penalized, and places like Kenya need to have more anti-poaching crews on the ground. Photography tourism could help fund those efforts.

Do you think that people should intervene in the drop of giraffes? What do you think about the penalties for poaching? Do you support zoos and other wildlife facilities? Let us know in the comments - and feel free to pass this along to your friends and family!