Baby giraffe hailed as medical marvel after ‘miracle’ birth at US park

A giraffe born at a Kansas wildlife park was given just a five percent chance of survival after being delivered by emergency C-section.

The calf’s mother, Virtue, suffered organ failure while pregnant earlier this month, forcing veterinarians to make a heartbreaking decision.

The team at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Wichita performed a terminal C-section, a last-resort procedure in which the mother does not survive. Virtue was sedated while veterinarians delivered her calf before she was humanely euthanized.

The park said none of the giraffe neonatal specialists or veterinarians it consulted had heard of a premature calf surviving this type of delivery.

Giraffes typically give birth standing up, with the calf’s six-foot fall triggering its first breath and breaking the umbilical cord.

Newborns usually stand within 20 minutes and nurse within an hour, receiving antibody-rich colostrum that helps build their immune system. Without it, the calf, named Milani, was dangerously vulnerable.

It took Milani two minutes to draw her first breath. She then required round-the-clock monitoring, plasma to replace the antibodies she could not receive from Virtue, controlled feedings and ᴀssisted standing sessions.

The wildlife team has hailed Milani’s survival as a medical first, while others are calling it a miracle birth after she defied seemingly impossible odds.

A giraffe born at a Kansas wildlife park was given just a five percent chance of survival after being delivered by emergency C-section

The calf’s mother, Virtue, suffered organ failure while pregnant earlier this month, forcing veterinarians to make a heartbreaking decision

On July 25, the park team announced that her name is Milani, which means ‘new birth’ or ‘new era.’ 

The name also honors Mili, the giraffe whose donated plasma helped save her life. 

More than 90 giraffe calves have been born at Tanganyika over the past 30 years, one of the strongest records in the country. 

However, Milani’s birth was a first. The team first noticed changes in Virtue’s appeтιтe and mood, prompting them to conduct additional tests.

Within 72 hours, they learned Virtue’s lactate had climbed sharply, and her blood was showing signs of a clotting disorder, her organs were shutting down and the condition was irreversible. 

The only question left was whether the unborn calf could be saved.

The team decided to proceed with a terminal cesarean section. Virtue was fully sedated, her calf was delivered surgically, and Virtue was humanely euthanized while she was under sedation.

LynnLee Schmidt, Chief Operating Officer at Tanganyika, said in a statement: ‘Most people have no idea what this work actually looks like. 

The team at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Wichita performed a terminal C-section, a last-resort procedure in which the mother does not survive

The team has shared numerous updates about Milani, showing her standing and sitting on her own for the first time, running and jumping in her pen and roaming around without an IV

The wildlife team has hailed Milani’s survival as a medical first, while others are calling it a miracle birth after she defied seemingly impossible odds

‘They don’t know that the keeper walking to the break room just finished tube feeding a baby giraffe, or that by 11am the Curator of Care is covered in sweat, amniotic fluid, and tears, or that the car pᴀssing them on the interstate is carrying plasma to a premature calf. If they knew, I think they’d be in awe of this team.’

A necropsy later revealed that Virtue had advanced heart and kidney disease, as well as a uterine cyst. 

Full results are still pending, but veterinarians said her death was unavoidable.

The team immediately cleared the calf’s nose and mouth, dried her, administered oxygen and stimulated her breathing while closely monitoring her heart and lungs.

‘The calf’s condition remains critical. Born premature and delivered by a procedure no documented giraffe calf has survived, she is being asked to do things her body had not finished preparing for,’ the Tanganyika team shared.

‘Should she pull through, she would be the first giraffe calf known to survive a cesarean section. Every milestone she has reached so far is one that was not expected of her.’

The team has shared numerous updates about Milani, showing her standing and sitting on her own for the first time, running and jumping in her pen and roaming around without an IV.