Six-year-old Kiraka gave birth to to the calf on Friday morning. Photo / Supplied via Auckland Zoo
Six-year-old Kiraka gave birth to to the calf on Friday morning. Photo / Supplied via Auckland Zoo
After a long 15 months of waiting, Auckland Zoo staff were pipped at the post when they missed the birth of the latest addition to the giraffe herd.
Auckland Zoo's 6-year-old giraffe, Kiraka, gave birth to a healthy male calf without the watchful gaze of the keepers on Friday morning, despite the zoo's best efforts to keep an eye on her labour.
The calf is the first male giraffe born since 2010.
Six-year-old Kiraka gave birth to to the calf on Friday morning. Photo / Supplied via Auckland Zoo
Auckland Zoo Pridelands team leader Nat Sullivan said she had a camera set up to monitor Kiraka's progress from home, but the giraffe wandered into an area of the enclosure where there was no surveillance.
"I checked throughout the night, didn't see anything, then at 4.30am I checked and the little calf was standing there."
After a rocky start with Kiraka's first calf, the zoo was concerned about the impending birth of her new baby, but Kiraka has taken to motherhood with ease this time around.
"After the first calf she was quite a nervous mum and we weren't too sure how she was going to go this time, but she's really calm and protective when she needs to be, but otherwise pretty chilled," Ms Sullivan said.
The three-day-old calf has no name yet as the keepers are waiting for his personality traits to appear.
"We wait a few days and just wait for their personalities to come out to see if we want to name off a personality trait or something physical, but within the week we'll have a name for him."
"We normally have big arguments throughout the team - everyone comes out with their top three and then we have a vote."
Six-year-old Kiraka gave birth to to the calf on Friday morning. Photo / Supplied via Auckland Zoo
Giraffe calves have a rather dramatic entrance to the world - being born from a height, the ground impact shocks them into taking their first breath.
"It's probably about a one and a half metre drop to stimulate them into life and it also breaks the umbilical cord and stuff all at the same time, so nature's got it pretty sussed that way."
Despite the abrupt entry, the new calf was up and walking within half an hour and feeding well from his mother.
Newborn giraffe calves weigh around 100kg and stand at about six feet (1.82m) tall.
Ms Sullivan said the baby giraffe would be introduced to the rest of the herd over the next few weeks, and would be on display for the public in about a month's time.
