On Wednesday, there was once again new offspring among the Zoo Vienna reticulated giraffes. One and a half years after the last breeding success, a giraffe cow has now given birth to her second calf. “Giraffes give birth while standing. The young animal is born with its front legs first,” says Simone Haderthauer, head of the zoological department. Shortly after birth, the young animal was able to stand on its own and take its first steps. This ability is necessary in the wild in order 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 have one of the longest gestation periods among land mammals, lasting about 15 months. The rearing of the Vienna giraffe offspring has been going very well right from the start. The gender of the young animal is already known: it’s a male. Haderthauer says, “The mother takes care of her offspring very attentively from the very first moment, licking it and checking on it regularly. The little one drinks well.”
Mother and calf are currently separated from the rest of the group, along with another female. Even in the wild, females giving birth separate themselves from the herd. If everything goes according to plan, the other group members will get to know the calf in the next few days, including its older sister. Thanks to the caring and close observation by the experienced animal care team, the integration of the young animal into the group should work well. Not only is Zoo Vienna happy about the offspring in the giraffe herd, but it is also an important contribution to the European conservation breeding of the highly endangered reticulated giraffe.