Cincinnati Zoo Is Letting Everyone Watch as a Giraffe Prepares to Give Birth
A giraffe at the Cincinnati Zoo is getting ready to have a baby, and people around the world can watch it happen. The zoo has set up two livestreams for Tessa, who is expected to give birth to her fifth calf any day now.
According to the Cincinnati Zoo, this is the first time it has ever livestreamed an animal birth. One camera shows Tessa inside her stall, while another lets viewers watch her outside at Giraffe Ridge.
The zoo has 48 volunteers working four-hour shifts to watch Tessa at night. Staff members take over during the day, and the zoo plans to post updates on social media when the time comes.
People were able to follow along with one of Tessa’s previous births, too, although there weren’t any livestream cameras involved. Back in 2012, it became the first zoo to live-tweet a giraffe birth, with Tessa as the mother.
How to Watch Tessa Give Birth
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Both cameras are available on the Cincinnati Zoo’s YouTube channel so that anyone can check in on Tessa throughout the day. Her keepers do have the option to shut off the cameras if they need to.
Dave and Linda Stentz are two of the volunteers helping with the overnight shifts. They appeared in a video explaining how they’ll know when Tessa is getting close to delivering her calf.
“First thing you’re looking for is Tessa sticking her tail straight out. Next will be hooves sticking out,” Dave explained.
Tessa’s last calf, Fennessy, was born at 2 a.m. on June 17, 2019, after about an hour of labor. According to a zoo announcement from that year, the 147-pound baby was on his feet within an hour and nursing that night.
Tessa’s Pregnancy Came as a Surprise
The zoo announced Tessa’s pregnancy in March, with an expected October due date. The father is Zeke, another giraffe living at the zoo, but keepers hadn’t actually seen the two breeding.
Keeper Teresa Truesdale said they weren’t sure Tessa could still have another baby. Apparently, Tessa and Zeke had been mating at night, so the staff missed it.
The zoo’s researchers were able to detect the pregnancy by testing hormones in Tessa’s droppings before they had ultrasound images. Researchers tracked her hormone levels over time and saw them continue to rise, indicating she was pregnant.
The zoo later posted an ultrasound photo on Facebook and asked people to guess which animal was expecting. There were about 1,400 guesses, but very few people picked a giraffe.
Fans Will Get a Chance to Name Tessa’s Baby
After Tessa gives birth, the zoo will offer a special giraffe ADOPT opportunity. Anyone who participates will have a chance to win the right to name the calf, with the rules being posted once the baby arrives.
Tessa’s second calf was actually named with help from the public. In 2012, more than 5,400 people voted online, and Lulu won with over 2,800 votes, beating out Mara and Rosie.
The new calf is expected to join Tessa, Zeke, Zoey and Fennessy at Giraffe Ridge. The zoo has also started construction on Giraffe Tower, a new habitat near its old elephant building that will eventually allow it to have a larger herd.
