By Jason O'BrienThursday December 17 2009
IMAGINE your reaction if you found these guys propping up your Christmas Tree on the morning of December 25.
These early Christmas arrivals were, however, guaranteed an extremely warm welcome from staff at Dublin Zoo.
The six African hunting dog pups and a giraffe calf were formally introduced to the public yesterday.
The dogs are two months old, while the giraffe was born just two weeks ago.
The baby giraffe measured a neck-stretching 5ft 2in at birth, and has been successfully integrated into the rest of the herd.
"We knew that mother Hailey was going into labour that morning so we stayed by her side," said zookeeper Helen Clarke.
"An hour and a half later, the female calf was born. Hailey's maternal instincts kicked in instantly, as she cleaned her lovingly.
Some of the two-month-old endangered African hunting pups with their mother"The newborn is very advanced, and stood within 20 minutes of her birth."
Ms Clarke added that she was also delighted to welcome the African pups.
"African hunting dogs are among the most endangered animals in the world, so this birth is of great importance to us," she said.
"The litter will stay with the adults for about two years, in which time we would hope that another litter will be born, so that they can learn from the parents how to look after their own litter in the future."
A competition to name the new giraffe is expected shortly.
- Jason O'Brien
Irish Independent
source: independent.ie
Posts
