A group of visitors at Berlin’s Tierpark were lucky enough to witness the birth of a calf belonging to an endangered species of giraffe, the Rothschild giraffe.
A rare giraffe is an uncommon sight on a day out in Berlin, let alone one being born before your very eyes. Visitors to the capital’s Tierpark were lucky enough to witness such a moment this week when a Rothschild giraffe unexpectedly birthed her calf.
The sex of the calf is yet to be disclosed and is the fourth child to be born to Amalka the giraffe. After a two-metre drop to earth from its mother, the calf wobbled but managed to stand just one hour later.
“Experiencing a giraffe birth live is something very special in every respect — especially as there are only 1.400 adult Rothschild giraffes in their natural habitat," director of the Tierpark Andreas Knieriem explained in the zoo's press release. “Tierpark zoo guests were able to witness this wonder of nature”.
The birth at Berlin Tierpark is significant because only recently did zoologists discover that there are four distinct giraffe species. The unnamed Rothschild giraffe calf belongs to the Northern giraffe family - the most endangered species. "Rothschild's giraffes are threatened in their homeland in Kenya and Uganda, primarily by illegal hunting and the expansion of agriculture," said Tierpark mammal curator Maren Siebert.
Poaching and loss of natural habitat are the biggest threats to all giraffes and the animal is listed as endangered on the IUCN’s Red List. Between 1985 and 2016, giraffes saw a 38 percent population decline, falling from about 157.000 to 97.500.
Thumb image credit: Edwin Butter / Shutterstock.com