VISITORS to Belfast Zoo were treated to a rare sighting on Monday when a giraffe unexpectedly delivered her new calf in front of amazed onlookers.
The calf, who is yet to be named, was born to mother Neja in the giraffe enclosure. Zookeepers first discovered Neja's pregnancy last year and after a gestation period of about 15 months she began displaying signs of labour on Monday afternoon.
Giraffes give birth standing up and the calf fell more than 5ft to the ground.
The new arrival spent a short time being groomed by its mother before rising to its feet after about half an hour. Just 10 hours after those first few unsteady steps, the baby giraffe was able to stretch its legs and run for the first time.
Rothschild's giraffes are one of the most endangered of the nine subspecies of giraffe and are part of a European breeding programme. Belfast Zoo first became home to giraffes in 1988 and since then 33 calves have been born at the Antrim Road zoo. "Keepers were on-site throughout the labour to ensure that everything went smoothly," zoo curator Alyn Cairns said. "Since the birth we have been giving the pair time to bond. For that reason, we have not yet had the opportunity to find out what sex the latest arrival is. "As we are extremely proud of being the only zoo in Northern Ireland, it is a tradition that we name our giraffe calves after towns and villages in Northern Ireland and Ireland which begin with 'Bally'. "If the calf is male it will be called Ballyrory and if female it will be called Ballymena."