These heart-warming pictures show a giraffe giving birth before lovingly cleaning its baby.
The mother lowers to her knees, then stands up, and the kid tumbles out with its back.
The mother licks the newborn calf before it takes its first steps
Finally, the newborn calf is licked clean by its mother before successfully taking its first steps in the world after several failed attempts.
Andreas Knausenberger was on a game drive in Masai Mara, Kenya, when he came upon the miracle of birth by accident.
The giraffe kneels down to give birth to the calf
“It was incredible,” said 32-year-old German. “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” he continued.
“When we came upon the giraffes, one of their backs had something dark sticking out of it, and we immediately realized she was in labor.
“We waited a long distance away, and it was fascinating to watch the others guard the one in labor as some hyenas were sniffing around. “
Tour operator Andreas Knausenberger captured the miracle of birth after stumbling on it by accident
The newborn was born after about 30 minutes, falling about two meters onto its back.
After only 15 seconds, the newborn raised its head, and the mother began cleaning it meticulously.
“After another 45 minutes – and many failed attempts – the newborn finally got up on its long legs and began searching for milk.”
Extrakt Exclusive Travel is a tour operator that specializes in safari trips across the world, and Andreas is its managing director.
He said: “It was so special – I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
