Giraffe calf born at Franklin Park Zoo being treated at Tufts
A giraffe calf born at the Franklin Park Zoo earlier this week is being treated at the Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University.
The zoo said in a statement Thursday the female baby giraffe born just before midnight on Sunday was having difficulty standing up and wasn’t able to nurse from her mother. According to the zoo, normally newborn giraffes stand up and nurse within an hour of being born.
After multiple attempts by zoo staff on Monday to get the calf to stand up and nurse, the newborn was transported to the Tufts veterinary center.
“We tried multiple times to get the baby to stand and nurse, but as we cared for the calf throughout the day she just wasn’t improving,” Dr. Eric Baitchman, director of animal health and conservation medicine for the zoo, said in a statement. “We felt that she needed the more specialized care that Tufts can provide as they have experience caring for newborn giraffes in similar situations. We are guardedly optimistic with her prognosis, but at this point there are a number of unknowns and we, along with the Tufts staff, are continuing to monitor her very closely.”
The zoo said that while the young giraffe is continuing to “make positive progress” it is not clear when she will return to the zoo.
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