The Birth of a Giraffe Calf – Londolozi Blog

Since the start of my training here at Londolozi, seeing the birth of a newborn giraffe has always been a dream of mine while guiding. In early 2020, during my training, our group was this close to witnessing one! But, alas, we got there just after the giraffe had given birth. Still, we got to see its very first wobbly steps, which was amazing!

Fast forward over four and a half years, and guess what? We finally got to witness the rare sighting of a mother giraffe giving birth to a newborn calf. Ranger Kyle Gordon was the one who spotted the giraffe right in the middle of the birthing process—how lucky is that? First, the front legs popped out, followed by the head and neck. I rushed across the reserve, hoping with all my might that I’d make it in time to see this incredible moment. And phew, we arrived just 30 seconds before she gave birth!

The birth itself can take some time. Kyle had waited about an hour after finding her already in the process of giving birth

Now, the birth itself can take a while. Poor Kyle had been waiting for about an hour after finding her already in the middle of labour. But once the shoulders were out, the rest happened so fast! The calf tumbled to the ground, and with those long front legs breaking its fall, it landed pretty well, all things considered.

As soon as the shoulders were out the rest was very quick as the calf fell to the ground

With the front legs close to the ground it broke its fall

Did you know that a female giraffe is pregnant for about 15 months? That’s over a year! They’re the only ruminants with such a long pregnancy. When the calf is born, it takes a bit of a tumble—about a 2-meter drop to the ground! Surprisingly, this fall doesn’t hurt the little one at all. In fact, it’s actually super helpful! The drop snaps the umbilical cord, tears the amniotic sac, and gives the calf a bit of a jolt, which helps it take its first breaths. The mother does her best to squat down and shorten the fall, and with those long front legs sticking out first, the landing isn’t as bad as it sounds. Oh, and the calf is about 100kg and 1.7 meters tall at birth—so impressive!

We waited, practically holding our breaths, as the newborn calf was hidden in the long grass. We couldn’t see a thing until—surprise!—its little head popped up! At that moment, we knew this tiny giraffe had made it through the birth.

The first time the newborn calf emerged from the long grass

The mother giraffe was super attentive, licking the calf and cleaning off all the birth fluids while it adjusted to its brand-new world. Within about 15 minutes, you could see the little one trying to get its legs under control. I’ve heard calves can stand within 15 minutes, but this one took its sweet time, managing its first steps after an hour and 15 minutes. But hey, who’s rushing?

The first steps for this newborn calf

Seeing those first steps was nothing short of magical. The mother stayed close by, watching her little one, which isn’t surprising considering how fragile the calf is at this stage.

And guess what? We captured the whole thing on video!

Enjoy the video below…