MOSCOW, October 21 (RIA Novosti) - A female giraffe calf was born in Royev Ruchey Zoo in Krasnoyarsk, Russia on October 19.
The newborn weighs no more than 50 kg and is about 180 cm high, according to a statement posted on the zoo’s official website.
The zoo staff has had little experience in assisting with the delivery of giraffes, so they had to consult their colleagues from Almaty Zoo in Kazakhstan on the matter.
The calf’s mother, Princess, is acting aggressively towards the newborn, as her maternal instinct has apparently not kicked in. The staff have therefore had to switch to hand rearing. The baby is currently being fed a mixture of milk and quail’s eggs every three hours.
The staff of the Royev Ruchey Zoo had previously made two attempts to hand rear giraffes; unfortunately, both of them were unsuccessful. The ‘Giraffe’ section of the zoo is currently closed to public as the facilities zoologists and veterinarians are doing everything they can to save the baby giraffe’s life.
