Mother giraffe Wahia was mated with father giraffe Timon at the Opel Zoo in Kronberg im Taunus, Hesse, western Germany, giving birth to a calf after a 15-month gestation period.
The newborn calf belongs to a subspecies that is at risk of extinction, born at Karlsruhe Zoo. (Source: DW)
On September 15, a newborn giraffe calf from a subspecies that is at risk of extinction was born at the Karlsruhe Zoo in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany.
After a 15-month pregnancy, mother giraffe Wahia gave birth for the first time in 9 years. Thus, Wahia has now given birth a total of three times. This time, mother giraffe Wahia was mated with father giraffe Timon at the Opel Zoo in Kronberg im Taunus, Hesse, western Germany.
This is not the first time this year that rare giraffes have been born in Germany. In June, a Rothschild giraffe was born at the Tierpark Zoo in Berlin.
According to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), based in Switzerland, the subspecies of giraffe that Wahia and her calf belong to is classified as “endangered.”
This subspecies originates from several regions in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia.
The IUCN states that habitat loss, declining habitat quality, and poaching are threatening the survival of this species.
Karlsruhe Zoo reports that there are only about 10,000 individuals of this subspecies left in the world. The zoo is currently participating in the European Endangered Species Breeding Program run by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).
