The World Watches Giraffe Birth

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A Mother's Love
It happened.  Over a million people all over the world watched and chatted on Facebook and Twitter about the birth of The Greenville Zoo's newest giraffe just before midnight on October 22.  I almost missed it because of a crazy schedule.  Unlike previous days, I didn't come home and immediately pull up the Earthcam feed to keep watch.  Thank goodness, the 11 o'clock news alerted viewers that Autumn was in labor!

About an hour later, the new calf dropped to the ground in a messy looking splat.  Then the serious conversations on Facebook began.  We had been told giraffe calves walk soon after birth, but time ticked by with little to no movement while Autumn paced and nosed at the calf.  Finally, the calf moved, and moved a little more.  A little under an hour after his birth, he attempted to stand.

Of course, we didn't know he was male then.  That news came out this afternoon, along with his name, Kiko, which means Autumn's child in Swahili.  I love that name!

You can continue to watch Kiko and Autumn on EarthCam, and if you weren't one of the millions watching the birth live, you can watch the video here.

Meanwhile, here's some pictures I took with my iPad while watching EarthCam.

Minutes After Birth

First Steps

Kiss












He looks little, but he's 5'8" tall and weighs @ 120 lbs!

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