Sigh of relief at Schönbrunn

At last: giraffe cub accepts supplementary feeding

The zoo had been very worried, but now the baby giraffe is finally accepting replacement milk.(Bild: APA/TIERGARTEN SCHÖNBRUNN)

A slight sigh of relief at Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna: the giraffe cub that was born at the zoo in mid-November is finally accepting supplementary feeding. Previously, there had been great concern as the mother's milk was apparently not enough to meet the young animal's needs.

Previously, the animal had refused supplementary milk, which prevented it from gaining weight. "Since the weekend, the cub has been accepting additional milk as well as its mother's milk," said the zoo.

"With a great deal of patience, our team has tried time and time again to feed the cub additional milk immediately after it has finished drinking from its mother. Fortunately, this is working at the moment. But the cub is not out of the woods yet. So please keep your fingers crossed!", wrote the zoo on Instagram (see post above).

Critical first days after birth
The birth of the little reticulated giraffe went like a picture book. However, the zoo warned immediately afterwards that the young animal's first few days were very critical.

The Schönbrunn offspring was also welcomed internationally. "The reticulated giraffe is a highly endangered species of giraffe. The calf is therefore an important contribution to European conservation breeding", they said.