Baby boom: Giraffe, spider monkey and vicuña born at GaiaZoo in Kerkrade
The GaiaZOO in Kerkrade can celebrate the arrival of three newborns. In addition to a long-awaited newborn giraffe, the zoo was delighted to welcome two more births, namely that of a vicuña and a rare red-faced spider monkey.
The little long-necked giraffe was born on Saturday morning and was allowed to explore the indoor enclosure in the early hours of the morning. The zookeepers are delighted with the offspring and are pleased that the birth went well. "Fortunately, we soon saw that the cub, a female, was drinking with its mother and standing firmly on its legs," says zookeeper Erlyn Dörenberg.
Young animals need to stand up shortly after birth. This is a reflex that is immediately apparent, as the African savannah, the giraffes' original habitat, can quickly become a danger zone for the young calves. The young giraffe can usually walk with its mother after just one hour.
The experienced mother giraffe has lived at GaiaZOO since 2005. The mother carried her young in her belly for 15 months. This made the birth all the more joyful, says zookeeper Erlyn.
Giraffes are one of Africa's most well-known and charismatic animals. They live on the vast savannahs where they search for food in tall trees. In total, there are still about 117,000 giraffes living in nature, according to the zoo.
A vicuña was born in the same week. This birth also went smoothly and the cub was able to stand on its own two feet after just a short time. Usually, a vicuña cub can stand after about 15 minutes and tries to walk with its mother. The vicuñas live in small herds and have been at Kerklander Zoo since 2021.
Vicuñas quickly become independent. Between 8 and 10 months, the vicuña cub feeds on its mother's milk. During this time, the cub becomes increasingly independent and sets off in search of its own herd.
The rare red-faced spider monkeys have also caused a baby boom at the Kerkrade Zoo with their offspring. Although the name suggests it, newborn red-faced spider monkeys do not have a red face at birth, but a black face and a bald head. The pungent red does not appear on the face until they are older.
Mothers carry their offspring in their womb for about 7.5 months. The birth of the red-faced spider monkey young is a spectacle, as very few of these monkeys have been born in European zoos in recent years. There are currently around 40 red-faced sloths living in only 10 different zoos in Europe.
