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Orphaned giraffe gives birth in Kenya’s Meru four years after rescue
07/08/2008 11:28:07
New giraffe calf in Meru
August 2008. A reticulated giraffe named Duse, which was abandoned by her mother when still a calf, has given birth just four years after its rescue. The tame giraffe, which has become a key attraction in Meru National Park, gave birth to a strong male calf. Unfortunately, in a replay of her own birth, Duse has been reluctant mother her calf, perhaps because of the way she herself was abandoned. It is also possible that she has have bonded so well with rangers and tourists that she has lost her maternal instincts. Duse was found by a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) warden pilot while on aerial patrol in Duse area in the larger Isiolo District (Northen Kenya) in 2004. He directed a ground team of rangers who rescued the calf and brought her to the park's Kinna Headquarters where she stayed with two ostrich chicks. Duse adapted well and prefers to stay near the HQ rather than mix with other wild animals, and she is commonly seen feeding at Kinna park headquarters. Meru National park
Meru National Park in northern Kenya, 348 kilometres from Nairobi, lost its position as a premier destination for visitors seeking untamed wilderness when it was overrun by banditry and poaching in the 1980's. However, that's all part of history thanks to millions of dollars from international donors Agence Francaise de Developpement, AFD, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) that has seen the rebirth of the park.  Duse and calf in Meru. @ KWS Gazetted as a protected area in December 1966, Meru National Park straddles the equator at the foot of the Nyambene Hills. It is inhabited by rare and unique animal species characteristic of semi-arid areas and is dominated by tall grass, lush swamps, thorny acacia, bush lands, and 14 permanent rivers. The park has undergone a major facelift in new infrastructure developments including four airstrips, visitor accommodation facilities, roads, gates, staff housing and community projects. The funds have supported the rebuilding of the park's original ranger headquarters, repair of security vehicles, and fencing of neighbouring farms to prevent elephants from wandering onto them. 2000 animals relocated to Meru
Last year, some 2,000 wild animals were relocated to the park from areas in Kenya with larger populations in Naivasha, Nakuru and Laikipia. Relocation of wild animals was part of a government drive to revive and rebrand the park as "complete wilderness". Species such as the endangered Grevy's zebra, common zebra, impala, hartebeest and Beisa oryx were moved in a spectacular exercise termed "the greatest African ungulate translocation." giraffe factsThe giraffe is the tallest of all land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant. Males can be 4.8 to 5.5metres (16 to 18feet) tall and weigh up to 1,700kilogrammes (3,800pounds). - The record-sized bull, shot in Kenya in 1934, was 5.87m (19.2ft) tall and weighed approximately 2,000kg (4,400lb). Females are generally slightly shorter, and weigh less than the males do.
- There are nine generally species, differentiated by colour and pattern variations and range: The ones found in Kenya include:
- Reticulated or Somali giraffe like Duse - large, polygonal liver-coloured spots outlined by a network of bright white lines. The blocks may sometimes appear deep red and may also cover the legs. Range: northeastern Kenya, Ethiopia and Somali.
- Masai or Kilimanjaro Giraffe- jagged-edged, vine-leaf shaped spots of dark chocolate on a yellowish background. Range: central and southern Kenya, Tanzania.
- Rothschild or Baringo Giraffe or Ugandan Giraffe- deep brown, blotched or rectangular spots with poorly defined cream lines. Hocks may be spotted. Range: Uganda north-central Kenya.
- Giraffes also have slightly elongated forelegs, about 10 per cent longer than their hind legs. The pace of the giraffe is an amble, though when pursued it can run extremely fast. It can not sustain a lengthy chase. Its leg length compels an unusual gait with the left legs moving together followed by right (similar to pacing) at low speed, and the back legs crossing outside the front at high speed.
- When hunting adult giraffes, lions try to knock the lanky animal off its feet and pull it down. Giraffes are difficult and dangerous prey though, and when attacked the giraffe defends itself by kicking with great force. A single well-placed kick from an adult giraffe can shatter a lion's skull or break its spine. Lions are the only predators which pose a serious threat to an adult giraffe.
- Modifications to the giraffe's structure have evolved, particularly to the circulatory system. A giraffe's heart, which can weigh up to 10kg (22lb) and measure about 60cm (2ft) long, has to generate around double the normal blood pressure for an average large mammal in order to maintain blood flow to the brain against gravity.
| - Female giraffes associate in groups of a dozen or so members, occasionally including a few younger males. Younger males tend to live in "bachelor" herds, with older males often leading solitary lives. Reproduction is polygamous, with a few older males impregnating all the fertile females in a herd. Male giraffes determine female fertility by tasting the female's urine.
- Giraffe gestation lasts between 14 and 15 months, after which a single calf is born. The mother calves standing up and the embryonic sack usually bursts when the baby falls to the ground. Newborn giraffes are about 1.8m (6ft) tall.
- Within a few hours of being born, calves can run around and are indistinguishable from a week-old calf; however, for the first two weeks, they spend most of their time lying down, guarded by the mother. The young can fall prey to lions, leopards.
- The giraffe has one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal, which is between 10 minutes and two hours in a 24-hour period, averaging 1.9 hours per day.
- The total African giraffe population has been estimated to range from 110,000 to 150,000. Kenya (45,000), Tanzania (30,000), and Botswana (12,000), have the largest national populations.
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