Moments ago the Dallas Zoo dispatched this video of its latest resident: a male giraffe born Sunday. And, apparently, it wasn’t an easy delivery.
Per zoo spokesperson Lydia Jennings’ heads-up moments ago, 6-year-old Chrystal went into labor on Sunday, but it abruptly stopped after two hours. At that point, says the missive from the zoo, vets moved her into “a special, custom-built chute in the giraffe barn [where] keepers were able to restrain her without using anesthesia, a risk they wanted to avoid for the health of both mom and calf.” From the release, a few more details:
With Chrystal safely ensconced in the chute, the veterinary team moved in quickly. Jan Raines, D.V.M., determined that the calf’s head and neck were positioned to the side of the front legs, instead of aligned with them. Raines was able to move the calf’s head and neck into the correct position, and Lynn Kramer, D.V.M., and the giraffe keeper team delivered the newborn. They gently lowered it more than 6 feet to the ground. Then they moved the calf into the barn’s maternity stall, equipped with extra layers of soft sand and overhead video cameras. Chrystal immediately joined the calf, licking him and nudging him. Soon he stood on wobbly new legs, and began to nurse shortly after.
So far, both mother and child seem fine, though it’s been close to four years since the zoo last delivered a giraffe, so they’re keeping a close eye on things.
“A new giraffe is always a reason to celebrate,” Kramer says in the release. “They’re remarkable animals, and are seriously threatened in the wild. Conservation is a key mission of our zoo, and this calf’s birth will allow us to offer a timely teaching message about the efforts being made on their behalf.”
We’re not going to see calf for a while: Staffers are watching to make sure it nurses and meets what it called “appropriate developmental milestones.” It could go intot he feeding habitat as early as next week, says the release, but for the next three months mother and son will stay inside during the evening — “until the calf is big enough to be with the herd at nighttime.”
Look, it’s been a long month. Reward yourself with a look-see at the video.
Chrystal and her calf at the Dallas Zoo on Tuesday (Courtesy the Dallas Zoo)