Wildebeest Birth New Beginnings

############################# Video Source: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoKeIhsCh_k

What a treat to witness a #wildebeest giving birth last month in Olare Motorogi. In all my years of going on #safari, I have only ever seen one other #animalbirth, so this was quite special. The entire sequence of this video took place over a period of approximately 40 minutes. It took about 6 minutes for the calf to get up and by 8 minutes it was running! After the calf is born, the mother will eat the placenta. (Sorry for that visual. 😂 ) Almost all mammal species eat the placenta after giving birth. There are several suspected reasons for this, including: stimulating the interaction between the mother and infant to encourage nursing; releasing chemicals which act as an analgesic in the delivering mother; and initiating brain opioid circuits that can quicken the onset of caretaking actions. Equally important, it serves to protect the calf by quickly eliminating the odours which attract predators. Nature is a wonder! #wildlife #wildlifephotography • Thanks for visiting my channel. If you would like to support my work and join me on virtual safaris, or just buy me a cup of coffee, please check out https://ko-fi.com/njwight

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