Just two days ago on January 25, this female giraffe was
born at Burgers’ Zoo in The Netherlands.  
The baby is named Annelieke, but the zoo staff has already nicknamed her
Lieke.

Female giraffes give birth standing up.  The baby emerges front feet first, followed by
the nose, head, neck, body, and hindquarters. 
 The baby drops about six feet to
the ground and within minutes, struggles to stand up.   With encouraging licks from mom’s
18-inch-long tongue, the baby eventually stands upright on wobbly legs – at least
for a few seconds!  Zoo staffers rarely
assists in giraffe births, and most babies stand and nurse successfully within
the first few hours of life. 

Photo Credit:  Burgers' Zoo

Why the hurry to get the baby on its feet? In the wild, baby
giraffes are easy prey for hungry lions and hyenas.  The sooner the baby can walk and follow the
herd, the better.

There are nine subspecies of giraffes, with each found in fragmented populations
across central, eastern, and southern Africa.