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It was the first time Amber Eagleson had seen a giraffe giving birth. She knew it was coming, but it still caught her off-guard.
The mother, Zuri, had been in labor at Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo for three hours when the newborn dived headfirst out of her mother and hit the floor more than 2 feet below, said Eagleson, area manager for the African Journey exhibit.
For two seconds, the giraffe just lay there, motionless in the thick wood shavings covering the floor, she said.
"It seemed like an eternity," Eagleson said.
The zoo welcomed the new addition Oct. 17 at 11:03 a.m. All 6 feet, 1 inch and 137 pounds of her.
Zahra, which means "flower" in Swahili, is the zoo’s 15th giraffe.
And though the zoo is closed for the season, curious spectators won’t have to wait until spring to see her.
A webcam transmits live video of the baby from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. The webcam is available at kidszoo.org/animals/babygiraffe/zahra.htm.
Despite Zahra’s hard fall, she was moving within seconds of her birth, first fluttering her eyelids to let the world know she was OK, Eagleson said.
Watchful zookeepers and the zoo veterinarian looked on through a mesh window.
But Zuri, who has given birth to five other calves, needed no help in delivering her newest baby.
After a few wobbly false starts, Zahra was on her feet and moving within 30 minutes, Eagleson said.
"That was probably almost as exciting as watching the baby born – watching her gain her balance the first time," she said.
