A new giraffe calf was born at the Badoca Safari Park in Santiago do Cacém, Alentejo, standing nearly one meter and ninety centimeters tall.
The calf belongs to the Northern Giraffe species, specifically the Nubian subspecies, which is classified as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to the destruction and fragmentation of their natural habitats.
The birth occurred on July 11 at 5 PM, following a 15-month gestation period.
In a statement, Badoca Safari Park explained, “Standing, the mother gave birth to a single calf which, at the moment of birth, as is natural for the species, fell from a height of about two meters.” Experts assert this process is essential for the functioning of the newborn calf’s body.
Accompanying the statement, the park released a video of the birth and the events that followed, which can be seen in our gallery above. In the footage, the baby giraffe makes several attempts to stand and take its first steps, finally succeeding after some clumsy falls. The mother remains close by, watching over the calf, which eventually manages to take a few tentative steps.
“It is important for the calf to stand within the first hour and start nursing in the second hour of life,” stated Joana Rações, head of the Animal Department at Badoca Safari Park. She added, “The first hours of life are very important, and both the calf and the mother are monitored closely,” with no external intervention.
The calf was born in a designated area of the safari that includes an indoor enclosure where it can stay with the mother. However, the caretakers hope that as the calf approaches one month of age, it will “gain confidence” and begin exploring the park’s 50 hectares with the other members of the species.
Francisco Simões de Almeida, managing partner of the safari, noted, “A birth is always a joyful moment (…) but the birth of a giraffe takes on another dimension.” This is not only because the giraffe is the park’s emblem, but also due to the conservation level since this is a highly threatened subspecies.
According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, there are fewer than 6,000 Northern Giraffes living in natural habitats. Half of these, about 3,000, belong to the Nubian subspecies—just like this new calf.
Badoca Safari Park is part of a conservation project by Save Giraffes Now, a non-profit organization working in the field to ensure the conservation of giraffes. The organization conducts rescue programs, relocations, and veterinary actions for injured animals to combat the continued decline in giraffe numbers worldwide.
