Santana, the oldest female giraffe resident of the Budapest Zoo, gave birth to a cute little calf in the early afternoon of January 1st, 2017. Not long after the delivery, the brave baby giraffe already made a few unstable attempts to stand up on its pencil-thin legs, and later even fed on its mother’s milk. When it gets more used to its long legs, the newborn will be introduced to the rest of the herd – and to visitors – but at the moment it needs to spend a few days in peaceful seclusion while forming the first vital bonds with its mum.

The birth mother, 21-year-old Santana, moved to Budapest from the Czech Republic in 1997, and is now the oldest member of the zoo’s giraffe community, having already successfully raised four healthy giraffe calves. The Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden has been keeping giraffes since 1868, and the first such long-necked animal was a gift from Emperor Franz Joseph. Today, a total of seven giraffes represent their species at the Budapest Zoo. A giraffe’s gestation period can be between 400-460 days, and newborns are normally 170-180 centimeters tall after birth, and live on their mother’s milk for about the first 12-16 months of their life.

Below you can watch a short film of the birth and first shaky steps of the giraffe calf, but please bear in mind that the video contains graphic live-birth footage that some viewers may find disturbing.