Giraffe calf born at Okinawa Zoo and Museum for first time in 14 years

Giraffe calf born at Okinawa Zoo and Museum for first time in 14 years

On January 21 at the Okinawa Zoo and Museum, the giraffe calf walked around energetically while being watched over by Yume, the mother, and Wabisuke, the father


January 22, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

For the first time in 14 years, since 2007, a giraffe calf has been born at the Okinawa Zoo and Museum (Okinawa Kodomo no Kuni). The reticulated giraffe calf, born at 6:38 p.m. on January 20, is 1 meter and 65-70 centimeters tall and weighs 50 kilograms according to the Zoo’s staff. However, the calf’s gender is still unknown. On January 21 the calf took some steady steps and walked energetically around the enclosure while being watched over by Yume, the mother, and Wabisuke, the father. The calf can now be seen by the general public.

According to the zoo staff, giraffe birth takes 2-4 hours on average, and despite this being the first time that the 13-year-old Yume gave birth, the birth only lasted 1 hour after the calf’s feet were seen and was a super easy birth. Two hours thereafter the calf was observed standing up and in the posture for drinking milk. Hereafter, the zoo will be sharing the calf’s growth status on its social networking site. Okinawa City Mayor Sachio Kuwae said, with enthuiasm, “This is joyous news amid the coronavirus crisis. I hope Okinawans all watch over [the calf’s progress] warmly.”

(English translation by T&CT and Erin Jones)

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