Eighth baby for the Barbie giraffe and a little sister for Twiga

Although the end of year celebrations have already passed, everyone is in a festive mood at the ZOO Planckendael.
On Sunday January 12, the Barbie giraffe gave birth to a magnificent little female!
His caretakers gave him the lovely name of Valeye, in homage to his father Saleye, who died last year.
Mother and daughter are doing wonderfully.
Healers have already seen Valeye greedily drink.
Barbie is a very experienced mother.
She pampers her little daughter well in the warm barn where everyone can come and admire them

Guick delivery

The baby was born last Sunday at 11:06 am.
The front legs are pulled out first, followed by the head.
The actual delivery was relatively short.
A giraffe birth is miraculous because the baby falls about two meters and then straightens up fairly quickly on its fragile little legs.
The mother licked her baby, under the watchful gaze of the big brother Twiga and the Diamond giraffe.
The little giraffe delicately passes its head under mom's belly to drink its delicious hot milk.
The girafon measures almost 2 meters, but is a little less sturdy than was his big brother Twiga at birth.
"Its small horns are still flattened on the head, which gives it the impression of having a stripe in the middle.
She is a very calm female who also wears very graceful eyelashes ", explains the careful Jolien.

A name starting with V

In 2020, all animals born at the Planckendael ZOO will receive a name starting with V.
"We have chosen the name Valeye to pay homage to the breeding male Saleye, who died unexpectedly last year.
It is so beautiful to see that part of him continues to live in his daughter Valeye. "

Caregiver Jolien says:

"Valeye is in great shape and in accordance with our expectations, Barbie is an exemplary mom. She is already her eighth offspring. The other members of the family are curious towards the little one. Diamant and Twiga regularly observe little Valeye over her the low wall. "

Stunning numbers

It is the eighth baby delivered by Barbie, after a gestation period of around fifteen months.
Males can measure up to five and a half meters, females four and a half meters.
They are the tallest mammals in the world and yet they have only seven cervical vertebrae, like humans.
Their language also has unique dimensions: 45 cm long.

Threatened species

The ZOO Planckendael is participating in the European breeding program for these threatened animals and awaits the arrival, in March, of a new breeding male from La Barben, in France.
The breeding group will thus be complete.
But the ZOO Planckendael also supports giraffes in the wild through the Giraffe Conservation Foundation which sponsors a project in Garamba national park in Congo.
Using satellite transmitting collars, the rangers monitor these graceful long-necked ladies. Knowledge is precious for their protection.

To find out more about the project, see https://www.zooscience.be