An endangered Masai giraffe born at Franklin Park Zoo is now in the hospital after failing to nurse.
Baby giraffe unable to nurse
The male calf was born to 9-year-old Amari on August 7. The 167-pound calf, according to Franklin Park’s animal care team, appeared to be healthy and was able to stand. However, the calf was unable to nurse – even though he made a few unsuccessful attempts – within his first 24 hours.
“The first hours are a critical time for the calf to start bonding with its mother and receive nourishing food and critical antibodies from her colostrum, or the first milk,” said Dr. Brianne Phillips, associate veterinarian at Zoo New England. “Without acquiring these antibodies, the calf’s immune system may not develop properly to deal with routine bacteria and disease.”
Zoo staff attempted to bottle-feed the calf after discovering he hadn’t nursed, but those attempts failed as well. Eventually, the veterinary team tube-fed the calf to give him colostrum and giraffe plasma infusion.
Calf’s prognosis “guarded”
After the calf continued to be unable to nurse, he was sent to the Hospital for Large Animals at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Grafton. The calf is receiving fluids and nutrition intravenously. He is also being treated with antibiotics after developing diarrhea and mild pneumonia. So far, the calf has been able to drink about 20 ounces from a bottle, but is still not eating on his own…