Bailey, a giraffe at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, gave birth to her first calf on Monday.

According to the zoo’s records, Bailey mated with a bull, Khalid, on June 29, 2019. Giraffe pregnancies can last anywhere between 14 and 16 months.

When Bailey began showing signs that she was in labor, the zoo shared a live stream to capture the birth and share it with animal lovers on Facebook. The post has already received more than 8K likes and 10K comments.

“After weeks of waiting, 8-year-old Bailey is in labor with her first calf. The team's all here to help with a safe delivery. Our first indication that labor was starting was the calf's two front hooves emerging from mom. Sometime after that, we should see the calf’s nose/head,” the caption read.

“The back hooves will usually be the last thing to emerge, with the calf dropping approximately 6 feet to the ground onto 6 inches of sand, naturally severing the umbilical cord and stimulating baby’s first breath.”

The enclosure in which Bailey gave birth was covered in sand in order to protect the calf from being injured during the five-foot drop when it’s born. The sand also protects the baby from slipping when it learns to walk, calves normally stand within 30 minutes of birth.

As of Monday afternoon, the baby is still being cared for by its mother. Those who may have missed the live stream can watch the birth on YouTube, or the zoo’s website.

Giraffe
A mother giraffe and her child are pictured. Getty Images
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