A South African tour guide recently captured a rare scene of a giraffe mother giving birth to a calf, witnessing a heartwarming moment of life coming into the world.
According to a report from the “Latest Sightings” website, Johan Van Zyl, a tour guide from the travel agency “Wild Eye,” shared the footage and story of the giraffe birth that he filmed.
Van Zyl stated that while they were in the car, they spotted a female giraffe and noticed that something was a bit off. Its body language and movements were not normal. As they got closer, they realized that it was in the process of giving birth. Such a sight is not common, let alone capturing it on camera.
Van Zyl mentioned that they observed from a distance to avoid adding extra pressure to the giraffe during the birthing process. This is crucial because giraffes are unable to defend themselves while giving birth, making them vulnerable to harm and already under pressure. This not only affects their own safety but also the safety of their calves.
He said, “The process took about 45 minutes to an hour, and we witnessed the entire birthing process. Firstly, the legs of the newborn giraffe emerged from the mother’s body, followed by the gradual appearance of the rest of the body.”
As the birthing process concluded, they heard a thud as the baby giraffe landed on the ground and saw the mother giraffe let out a sigh of relief.
Since the giraffe mother gives birth standing up, the calf falls from a height of about 6 feet. While this may seem alarming, it helps the calf to take its first breath and get the blood flowing.
For the giraffe mother, this is another stressful moment as the scent of the newborn calf could attract nearby predators, requiring her to stay alert.
Van Zyl described witnessing the mother giraffe gently nudging the calf to help it stand, a process that lasted about an hour. After several failed attempts, the calf finally managed to stand on its own strength.
He mentioned that after seeing the calf take a few steps, they decided to leave to give the mother and calf the space they needed.
He concluded by saying, “We left with warm hearts, smiling throughout because of being able to witness this incredible moment.”