BY JACK WARD

The birth of a giraffe: The first things to emerge are the baby giraffe’s front hooves and head. A few minutes later, the plucky newborn is hurled forth, falls 10 feet, and lands on its back. Within seconds, he rolls to an upright position with his legs tucked under his body. From this position, he considers the world for the first time and shakes himself. The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she positions herself directly over the calf. She waits for about a minute. Then she does the most unreasonable thing. She swings her long, pendulous leg outward and kicks her baby so that it is sent sprawling head over heels. When it doesn’t get up, the violent process is repeated over and over again.

The struggle to rise is momentous. As the baby calf grows tired, the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts. Finally, the calf stands for the first time on its wobbly legs. Then the mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing. She kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with the herd, where there is safety. Lions, hyenas, leopards, and wild hunting dogs all enjoy young giraffes, and they’d get it, too, if the mother didn’t teach her calf to get up quickly and get on with it. (Gary Richmond, A View From The Zoo)

Why do baby giraffes keep getting up after being kicked? Because their instinct is to trust their mother.