A Newborn Giraffe
“Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?”
I couldn’t believe our luck when we discovered a “journey” of giraffes browsing beside the road early in the morning. Surely this was an omen that the day would be special.
Two young calves hung out together, simultaneously curious and hesitant about us. They trained their eyes and ears on our vehicles. Their mothers paid us no mind, continuing to browse on the thorny whistling acacia trees that formed a protective prickly fence around their offspring.
Something, a movement or whisper in our group, spooked the youngest calf and she sprang away, her long legs carrying her like a rocking horse deeper into the bushes. My telephoto lens revealed her umbilical cord was still attached. This baby was very new!
She raced to her mother for comfort and safety. Did you know that a baby giraffe is 6 feet tall when born? Giraffes are the tallest mammals on earth. They range from 13–18 feet in height. Females do not lie down when giving birth. As result, it’s a precipitous entrance for a newborn. A significant number of giraffe calves break their necks and don’t survive the birthing process.
I find giraffes irresistible. Their beautiful patterning, long legs, and neck make them completely unique in the animal kingdom. They are remarkable in so many ways. Gestation time for a giraffe is 14.5 months. A fertilized embryo does not latch onto the mother’s uterus if the environmental conditions suggest drought or some other risk to the food source. The gait of a giraffe is elegant and smooth because the legs on each side of the body move in unison, like a pacer in horse racing. They do not have the 1,2,3,4 beat motion of an antelope or zebra.
The tufted horns and long eyelashes are signature elements of appeal in a giraffe’s face. Their eyelashes act like umbrellas and protect their eyes. If a giraffe lives to an old age and loses its eyelashes, they can get glaucoma and go blind. This newborn’s eyelashes stood out even from behind.
When the calf turned to look at me, I could see that her ears and nose were still crusted with fluid from her mother’s womb. So young, so new, so beautiful.
I saw these two youngsters in January 2020. I hope they are doing well and thriving in their natural habitat on the Maasai Mara in Kenya. Giraffe populations have been decimated in the past few decades. Loss of habitat, the bush meat trade, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict have caused giraffes to be listed as endangered. We can do something about this. You can learn more about giraffes by watching the compelling documentary The Woman Who Loves Giraffes on Netflix. You can support giraffes by saying NO to trophy hunting and contributing to Save Giraffes Now