Endangered baby giraffe takes first steps after being born at zoo

15 March 2024 , 14:41

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Baby Rothschild’s giraffe born at Chester Zoo already weighs more than 70kg and stands at 6ft (1.8m) tall (Image: Chester Zoo/SWNS)

Heartwarming images capture the moment an endangered baby giraffe was born at a British zoo.

The newcomer arrived at Chester Zoo at 11.30pm on Tuesday (March 12), with video later showing mum Orla giving the newborn calf a loving lick on the head. The photos revealed how the adorable baby Rothschild's giraffe, which number just 2,500 in the wild, fell from a height of 6ft (1.8m) onto soft straw when it was born.

The cute youngster was then seen stumbling to its feet and suckling from its mum for the first time - all within 30 minutes of its arrival. Orla's pregnancy had lasted 472 days and her labour went on for over three hours before the calf finally came along. Zookeepers are yet to determine if the two-day-old baby is male or female, but it already weighs more than 70kg and stands at 6ft (1.8m) tall.

The birth of the baby Rothschild’s giraffe was captured on CCTV at Chester Zoo (Chester Zoo/SWNS)

It is expected to reach more than 18ft (5.4m) high in the future and weigh around 1,000kg (157st). Rosie Owen, from Chester Zoo, said: "Giraffes give birth standing up and so they really do enter world in dramatic fashion. Orla's calf landed with quite a bump when it fell around six feet onto the floor, but this is totally normal and is actually really important part of the birth process with the impact from the fall stimulating the calf and encouraging it to take its very first breath."

"So far mum and baby are doing really well and, at just two days old, they're spending some quiet time getting to know one another. Orla is an experienced mum, and so we're seeing all the right signs from her, she's very nurturing and allows her little one suckle often while giving them little nudges of encouragement especially as her calf is a little unsteady on its long legs."

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Tens of thousands of Rothschild's giraffes, a subspecies of the world's tallest mammal, were once found in Kenya, Uganda and Sudan. However, their population has suffered a 90 per cent decline in recent years as a direct result of poaching and habitat loss. The last major stronghold is now in Kenya and Uganda.

The cute youngster was seen stumbling to its feet within 30 minutes of its arrival (Chester Zoo/SWNS)

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the species as vulnerable - which means it faces a high chance of becoming extinct in the future. Experts at the zoo are working on the ground in Uganda alongside its in-country partners, The Giraffe Conservation Foundation and Uganda Wildlife Authority, to help monitor and safeguard the animals in the wild.

This vital work has seen the population increase for the fourth consecutive year. Rosie added: "Thanks to the international conservation breeding programme in zoos, paired with efforts in the wild to protect the remaining populations, numbers are slowly starting to bounce back in Uganda, Africa, where we're working alongside our partners. Together, we're helping to create a future where the world's tallest animal can thrive well into the future. "

Rom Preston-Ellis