Giraffe calf struggles to breathe, saved by zoo director

A newborn giraffe calf at Copenhagen Zoo required urgent human intervention to breathe after birth. The calf's nostrils were covered by the amniotic sac, preventing it from taking its first breaths. Zoo director Mads Frost Bertelsen quickly reached into the stall to clear the airways, and the calf began breathing almost immediately.

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We had to act quickly, and luckily I could reach in from the stall and create free airways.

After about ten minutes, the mother giraffe began caring for her calf, and both are now reported to be in good condition. The calf, a male, was nearly two meters tall and weighed between 50 and 60 kilograms at birth.

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Almost immediately, the calf began to breathe.

This is the third giraffe birth at the zoo this year. The zoo highlighted the importance of breeding programs for giraffes, noting that the species is close to being threatened in the wild. The recent births are considered potentially significant for the international breeding program, especially as the European giraffe population had been in decline. The zoo views these new calves as a concrete contribution to securing the species' future.

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It has been an eventful spring. Now it was the oldest female in the herd who gave birth to her calf.