Guangzhou Zoo has welcomed a new female giraffe calf following a dramatic 55-hour life-saving relay by keepers and veterinarians.
The female calf was born to mother Hailin and father Bawu after a 16-month pregnancy. Given that giraffes give birth standing up, calves drop straight onto the ground at birth. However, the newborn struggled to stand and eventually collapsed from exhaustion.
Unable to stand and nurse, the calf faced a life-threatening crisis. Moving quickly, the care team temporarily separated the calf from her mother, cleared the calf's airways, dried her coat, checked her vital signs and administered emergency glucose. Thanks to the emergency care, the calf mustered enough strength to stand up on her own.
Hailin a week before giving birth.
The baby suddenly stands up, startling the keepers.
Over the next two days, staff worked round-the-clock shifts, hand-feeding the calf milk collected from Hailin while closely monitoring her vitals. A key breakthrough came on the third morning, when the calf successfully suckled from her mother independently for over six minutes.
Guangzhou Zoo has been breeding giraffes since 1967. Both the newborn and her mother Hailin are now in stable condition under the continuous care of the zoo's veterinary team. The newborn does not have an official name yet. Some netizens jokingly suggested the name "Starfish (Haixing)" because of the way she lay flat on the ground during her early struggles. What name would you give this tough little giraffe?
Hailin and her baby.
Author | Dong Han
Photos | Guangzhou Zoo
