This is going to be the first in a short series of cute baby animal posts. No kittens or puppies here but it won’t be the first time I have been down this route as the baby elephant post here will testify. However, one of our local zoos at Brookfield has had a bunch of new animals born in recent months. We popped along to see one of them and ended up seeing the others that we had forgotten about.
The new addition in question is a baby giraffe. Giraffes are a quite fascinating creature for many people and their enclosure always has a good crowd. At the moment, the numbers are significantly higher as the addition of a new member to the family is getting a lot of attention. If you want to see how a baby giraffe is born, go to Brookfield Zoo’s YouTube page and there is a video of the birth there. It is not a subtle event as the mother is walking around and literally drops the baby out as she goes. Apparently, the thump as it hits the ground startles it into action and it is off!
The youngster has grown a bit by now but is still conspicuously small compared to the rest of the family. Balance is good but still a little ungainly and investigating things away from the adults still seems to have some fascination. If you are in the area, you should drop by before they get too big.
Last in the baby section, at least for now, is the sloth bear. One of the bears at Brookfield had a couple of cubs earlier in the year. They are now out in the enclosure for the public to see. Baby bears are really quite cute. Lots of fur and everything else a bit undersized so they look very ungainly. Add to that the typical youthful energy of young animals as they explore all of the new things on offer and you get a popular spot for visitors. I can’t judge – we were there for the same reason!
