Photo: DANIEL ZUPANC (TIERGARTEN SCH…NBRUNN)
The giraffes in Schönbrunn Zoo have had offspring again after a year and a half. A giraffe gave birth to her second calf on Wednesday. “The animal keepers gave him the name ‘Nio’,” said an APA spokeswoman. “Giraffes throw while standing. The young animal is born with its front legs first,” says Simone Haderthauer, head of the zoological department.
The first steps shortly after birth
Shortly after birth, the male cub was able to stand on its own and take its first steps. This ability is necessary in the wild in order to be able to flee as quickly as possible from predators such as lions or spotted hyenas. Reticulated giraffes live in the savannas of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.
After elephants and rhinos, giraffes are among the land mammals with the longest gestation period at around 15 months. The rearing of the Schönbrunner giraffe offspring went very well right from the start. Haderthauer: “The mother animal is very caring from the very first moment, licks her young animal and looks after him regularly. The little one drinks well.”
Getting to know sister “Amari”
Mother and calf are currently separated from the rest of the group together with another female. In the wild, too, females giving birth separate themselves from the herd. If everything goes according to plan, the other group members will get to know the calf over the next few days. So does his older sister named “Amari”.
The zoo assured that the integration of the young animal into the group should work well thanks to the caring care and close observation by the experienced zookeeper team. But not only Schönbrunn Zoo is happy about the offspring in the herd of giraffes: it is therefore also an important contribution to European conservation breeding of the endangered reticulated giraffe.
Source: Nachrichten
