Two meters spotted wonder New addition to Oceana Beach & Wildlife Reserve

Some things spread quietly like wildfire. South African clocks tick differently. Calmer, more attentive and more patient. So slowly, however, the little big one can no longer hide in the bush. Already on September 9, 2021, a male giraffe calf was born around 11 a.m., in the reserve, on the slope of a hill. Who is he?

The experienced giraffe mama carried her little one for almost 15 months before she let it see the light of day with its 80 kilos. The little fighter first had to recover from a fall from a height of two meters and to get up after a few hours he had to face the challenge of a sloping terrain. How fortunate that there are no large predators at Oceana Beach & Wildlife Reserve, so he was able to take his time and has since stood with all four spindly legs firmly in giraffe life.

With my 1.70 meter height, I remember my tiny babies. This is different, even in color, shape and weight. Two meters is big, especially for a baby. Here in the animal kingdom, that’s normal for giraffes. Only after about twenty days the mother leads the young to the herd. Weaning then takes place at the end of the year after nine to twelve months, yet a young animal remains with its mother for up to eighteen months.

The offspring likes the tasty leaves, buds, shoots and grasses as well as the salt and mineral rich soil best to grow big and strong. Like their conspecifics, they prefer to graze on tree tops. In doing so, the animals grasp a twig with their tongue, pull it into their mouth and strip off the leaves by pulling back their head.

At around six years of age, the Masai giraffes are fully grown. This giraffe species is common in southeastern Africa. You can recognize them by the leaf-like spots on their body, the patterns are further apart than usual and are different in each animal, their distinguishing feature. The belly is usually lighter and even partially unpatterned. An incredible size of about 6 meters is reached by this baby once he is fully grown. It will be easy for him to look after the two beautiful new pool suites.

Now he just needs a name, do you have a suggestion?