Two endangered Rothschild’s giraffe calves have been born just hours apart at Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire. It is the first time in Woburn’s history that two giraffe calves have been born in such short succession of each other.
The first healthy calf was born to experienced 13-year old mother Danica in the brand new giraffe house on the Road Safari, late last month.
Just 32 hours later, six-year old Lindsay gave birth to her first baby calf at lunch time. The arrival of the as-yet unsexed and unnamed calves comes just weeks after the birth of an adorable male calf named Arrow (after the coat of arms from the Rothschild’s family).
Danica’s young calf at Woburn Safari Park
Rothschild’s giraffes are classified as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and are amongst the rarest mammals in the world. There are now thought to be less than 1,600 individuals remaining in the wild, and they are restricted to a few isolated populations in Kenya and Uganda.
The new arrivals mark an important achievement for the Park as well as for the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).
Lindsay Banks, Senior Keeper at Woburn Safari Park said: “We feel very lucky to have had the birth of two new calves, which is unusual in such a short space of time.
"The rest of the herd have naturally taken an interest in the new youngsters and the calves are already spending a lot of time with each other and Arrow, who was born in May.
"Over the next few weeks they will be doing a lot of sleeping, feeding, playing and exploring the yard and the main reserve.”
Giraffe at Woburn remain together with the herd during pregnancy and birthing, and keepers give individuals the choice of where and how they calve, noting that they seem more settled and take reassurance from their strong maternal and sibling bonds within the social group.
> Never miss leisure news in Milton Keynes - Follow us on Twitter: @thisistotalmk
And on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thisistotalmk
