Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon has welcomed a 5-foot 10-inch baby giraffe to its animal family.The two-week-old female is the third giraffe to be born at the park since the breeding program started in 2011. Wildlife Safari has successfully bred numerous species, including cheetahs, but General Curator Dan Brands says this process had its own learning curve. Giraffes give birth standing up so the baby drops about six feet.
“So that’s always a bit unnerving. So we make sure that it’s bedded down well. And so staff will sometimes take a big gulp when the baby first comes out,” said Brands. “And then it takes a while for them to start to getting up on their feet and sitting up straight. So there’s always that five, ten minutes where you’re just kind of holding your breath waiting for that first movement.”
Brands says there’s always excitement with a new baby at the park.
“It’s always fun to watch the antics of a young giraffe out there. You know, running around kicking it’s heals up, trying to figure out how to drink water out of a pond or eat hay out of the manger,” said Brands.
The giraffe has yet to be named.
