PUEBLA | A reticulated giraffe, two elephants and several other endangered specimens have emerged in an animal reserve in Mexico, a country where the pandemic is raging.
In this reserve in the Mexican state of Puebla, closed to the public because of COVID-19, it is clear that animal reproduction is experiencing a significant increase, during this troubled period for humans.
Franck Camacho, the director of Africa Safari, located in the municipality of Valsequillo, 150 km from Mexico City, does not however attribute this hitherto unknown rate of births to the sole closure of the facilities to the public due to the pandemic.
“Here, the animals behave as in their habitat, but without diseases or poachers,” he explains.
The animals “don’t know anything about the pandemic, the virus, or what’s going on outside. We have not reduced the quality of care. For them, life is absolutely normal, ”emphasizes the manager.
Africam Safari informed the public, through its digital platforms, of the birth of several species, presenting the announcement of these happy events as a contribution to the scientific community.
The forced closure by COVID-19, however, had an impact on the finances of the reserve, which lives off public revenues and whose budget has been supported by money from postponed projects.
“A lot of animals start giving birth in December and finish in May or June,” explains Frank Camacho.
“We have a giraffe, elephants, ankoles, buffaloes, wildebeest,” he adds. The 830 hectare park is home to 5,741 animals of 498 species, from small butterflies to African and Asian elephants and hippos.
The reticulated giraffe, “one of the rarest subspecies” of this species, was born on September 13 with a height of 1.53 meters. Four months later, it measures 2.60 meters and could reach 4.50 meters, says Camacho.
As her mother could not feed her, her caretakers provide her with 13 liters of milk daily from the bottle, which allows her to gain 1.5 kilograms per day, explains the director.
In the park, the birth of golden eagles is also expected.