Giraffe Serves as 'Nanny' to Tiny Newborn Antelope and It's Just Too Sweet
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya is no stranger to caring for tiny newborn animals. The organization actually specializes in sheltering and raising orphaned wildlife from elephants to rhinos. And perhaps the wild animals that live around the facility have also learned that it’s a place of refuge and safety. How else to explain the way that local animals sneak in to give birth to their babies, and are even cared for by some of the wild residents that call this place their home?
In this video, we see the tender loving care bestowed upon a baby dik-dik—a species of miniature antelope—who was recently born inside the stockade of one of Sheldrick’s resident orphans, a giraffe named Twiggy.
Related: Giraffe Has the Sweetest Expression After Visit From the Chiropractor
An Unusual Giraffe
Twiggy has been living with the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Since 2021, when she was found wandering alone as a baby among a herd of zebra. Although the zebras didn’t mind her presence, the officials with the trust knew she’d be an easy target for a nearby pride of lions and decided to take her in. Ever since, she’s gained a reputation as the facility’s resident “nanny.”
“Twiggy is our Kaluku Nursery’s collective nanny,” they write. “She can usually be found with an assortment of smaller friends in her midst. Our beloved giraffe exudes kindness and calm, and all the other animals pick up on that.”
Apparently, Twiggy’s early experience not only in being an orphaned animal herself but also making friends with other species has lasted throughout her young life, and this dik-dik momma must have realized Twiggy’s enclosure was a great place to hide in her most vulnerable moments.
“Seeking a safe place to give birth,” the facility explains, “the tiny antelope knew exactly where to go.
“Mum sheltered her baby in Twiggy’s stockade for two days, before bringing him out into the wider world. A newborn dik-dik is incredibly fragile — it only weighs about one and a half pounds — and we marvel at how graciously Twiggy accommodated the baby’s presence! What a special launchpad for the little chap.”
The Life of a Dik-dik
Dik-diks are only about a foot and a half tall when fully grown, so the fact that Twiggy the giraffe even took notice of, let alone cared for such a small creature is a truly remarkable feat. They weigh only about six to twelve pounds when fully grown, to compare to a giraffe, which regularly tops twelve feet and can weigh well over a thousand pounds.
The tiny antelopes live in scrubland areas where they feed on grasses and tender roots. One interesting fact about these animals is unlike other ruminants (deer, sheep, cattle, horses, and even giraffes) dik-dik babies are not born hooves-first but rather nose first.
“Twiggy is a Keeper, too. She just wears a different color coat,” writes an admirer in the comments section.
Others agree. “Kindness breeds kindness. Dear Twiggy has known nothing but love and kindness and she's sweetly being a place of sanctuary for this little one and its mum.”
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