At Schmiding Zoo

So cute: camera films birth of a baby giraffe

Giraffe "Samira" after giving birth with her youngest offspring at Schmiding Zoo.(Bild: Zoo Schmiding/Peter Sterns)

Giraffe "Samira" went into labor in front of numerous visitors. The experienced mother behaved calmly and relaxed at Schmiding Zoo in Krenglbach. As the birth, which was followed by a camera, was already expected, the baby fell softly into plenty of straw.

Giraffe bull and dad "Noel" was present in the side box when his youngest offspring was born and sent loving, reassuring signals to the expectant mother. The Schmidinger Zoo team monitored the birth.

"The entire birth process went smoothly and without human intervention," reports zoo director Andreas Artmann. Everything went very quickly.

That's how quickly the birth happened
At 13.30, "Samira's" waters broke and shortly afterwards the tips of her hooves became visible. At 14.06 the legs were already born and at 14.30 the cub tumbled into life. Just 20 minutes later it was able to lift its head independently and sit upright, and after a further 40 minutes it was finally able to stand independently, albeit unsteadily. And by 17, the cub had found its mother's teats and was drinking for the first time.

Mom licks her baby dry(Bild: Zoo Schmiding/Peter Sterns)

The little giraffe bull is already standing shakily on its own two feet(Bild: Zoo Schmiding/Peter Sterns)

"Love you" - mother and father still have to bend down a little to caress their big baby(Bild: Zoo Schmiding/Peter Sterns)

Rapid development
Mother "Samira" was very caring from the very first moment, licking the cub and checking on it regularly. "It's impressive how quickly a giraffe calf develops shortly after birth. This ability is necessary in nature in order to leave the place of birth as quickly as possible and to be protected from predators," says Andreas Artmann.

Only 1400 giraffes of this species left in the wild
The new birth of giraffes at Schmiding Zoo is also an important success for species conservation, especially when you consider that there are only 1400 adult Rothschild's giraffes left in their natural habitat.

Open to visitors
Mother and child can also be visited inside the giraffe enclosure. However, there are always times when the area is closed to visitors so that mother and child can rest. Incidentally, the name of the little giraffe bull has not yet been decided.