People Won’t Believe What a Zebra Did when Two Men Dived to Save her Confused Newborn
There is nothing like a mother’s love. That loving bond between a mother and her baby is a connection so strong that very little, if anything, can break it. This principle extends to the animal kingdom as well. A mom will go to great lengths to protect her young and make them feel safe. When their babies are in danger, a mother will rush in and try to save them, even if it means risking her own life to do so.
Valencia Biopark in Spain witnessed an incredible case of this with one of their baby zebras and his mom. The baby was born at the zoo, and witnessing the moment was a spectacular experience for onlookers. However, the day went from happy to terrifying when the energetic little zebra fell into a watering hole. His mom’s reaction was unbelievable.
Valencia Bioparc and Botanical Garden
It all happened at Valencia Bioparc. Valencia Bioparc is a biopark in the city of Valencia in Spain. It’s a happy environment and a calm place where the animals live peacefully near the River Turia banks. Or at least it’s usually a calm place.
Situated within the grounds of Valencia Bioparc is a botanical garden. In the botanical garden, you will see rhinos living among herds of zebras. Visitors to the park can walk around the botanical garden to observe the wildlife there. On this particular day, visitors got a treat when they caught sight of a baby zebra being born.
La Nina and Her Baby
The name of the mother zebra is La Nina. In Spanish, the name “La Nina” means “the girl.” The birth of La Nina’s baby was a memorable and special moment for the park. It was also a once in a lifetime sighting for the visitors at the park that day.
The team at the bio park caught the whole event on camera. The video was then uploaded on to YouTube later on to the park’s channel so that their online fans could enjoy the moment too. Besides filming the special event, the staff was also watching over the mother to make sure she didn’t need any assistance throughout the birth.
The Day It Happened
Eventually, after a long labor, the baby emerged. Poor La Nina looked exhausted! The baby appeared healthy and was even able to stand on its own. All was well! Once the umbilical cord had been removed from the baby, he attempted to walk for the first time.
Giving birth is a very tiring and traumatic experience for animals because there is no pain relief available or no option for a C-section delivery if problems occur. La Nina was still lying down after giving birth while her newborn was trying to find his feet by walking around. What nobody realized was that it was only the attachment of the umbilical cord that was preventing the baby from running away.
Baby’s First Steps
La Nina was just washing her new baby when the newborn became impatient. He couldn’t sit still and started to wander around. He began to get closer to the watering hole, but La Nina was too tired from giving birth that she couldn’t move quickly enough to stop him from getting into mischief.
The mother began to cry with worry as her tiny baby drew closer to the watering hole. She was clearly calling for help. She knew her baby was in danger, but the little zebra was fascinated by the water. As he made his way into the watering hole, he was excited at first and began to paddle deeper into the depths of the water. Before he knew it, he was into deep and realized he’d made a mistake!
Time for a Bath
La Nina’s baby was now in the watering hole and out of his depth. He was too young to understand that he was still too small to be playing in such deep water. His mom was panicking and tried her best to cry for help. The picture below shows her slowly making her way towards him in a bid to help him.
The baby zebra was so excited by the water that he had wandered closer to the edge until he accidentally tripped and fell in! La Nina’s cries were painful to hear. She was wailing so loud that you could hear it in the video that ended up going viral.
A Drowning Baby and a Worried Mom
La Nina’s newborn was struggling to keep his head above water. It was a really worrying situation. The new mother was worried sick, but she was restless. She couldn’t help him because she was still exhausted after giving birth.
It was difficult knowing what to do. La Nina was growing increasingly impatient because she knew she needed to help her baby but was struggling to do so. It’s not easy to approach an endangered baby animal when his mother is so close because it could easily irritate her further. But the staff at the park knew they had to do something, so they took the risk.
Zookeepers Come to the Rescue
If the zookeepers hadn’t stepped in, the baby zebra would have most certainly drowned. La Nina was still standing at the edge of the watering hole, crying for her baby to come back to her. Then two of the zookeepers came to the rescue to try and save the baby.
They were incredibly brave and didn’t show any signs that they were worried about the mother being so close, watching over them. But La Nina didn’t understand that they were actually trying to save her baby, and she became aggressive after seeing the two zookeepers.
Hands off My Baby
When La Nina saw the two zookeepers approaching her baby, she was angry. She thought they were trying to hurt him. Despite being exhausted and still in discomfort after giving birth, she jumped into the watering hole to save her baby from the watering hole and now, the zookeepers.
As you probably know, mothers in the animal world can get very protective over their young, and they can even show signs of aggression. La Nina believed the two zookeepers to be predators, when in fact, they were actually there to help. Her reaction wasn’t unusual. The zookeepers had expected this reaction from her.
A Safe Plan
Initially, the two zookeepers’ main goal was to save La Nina’s baby. However, when La Nina began to show signs of aggression, they had to rethink their plan. They needed to find a way to save the young zebra without the mother lashing out at the rescue team.
The two zookeepers who had stepped in to rescue the stranded zebra were well aware that this was a dangerous mission, but they couldn’t stand by and watch the newborn zebra drown. They knew that La Nina could strike out and become aggressive at any time, but they needed to save her baby.
Nobody Wants to Upset Mom
The zookeepers were prepared with a few tactics to prevent the problem from becoming worse if La Nina was to attack them. The two-man rescue team jumped into the water and starting to splash about. This was a message to La Nina that she must not attack the two men trying to save her young.
La Nina got the message, and she didn’t try anything. Now that they’d got La Nina under control, the two zookeepers were free to do what they’d jumped into do. They were able to carry on with their task of saving the baby zebra without worrying about the mother attacking them.
Motherly Love
The mother was not happy. She was exhausted and uncomfortable after a tiring and painful birth, but she had no choice. La Nina wasn’t happy about having two strange men so close to her baby, but she had to step aside and allow them to do their job.
As she stood at the side of the watering hole and watched what was going on, she soon realized that the two men were actually trying to help her baby – not harm him! Given her condition, there was little she could do but just watch what was happening.
The Rescue
The two zookeepers took hold of the baby and dragged him to shore. At the same time, they had to keep making splashing gestures at La Nina to stop her from attacking suddenly. The two men worked as a team to carry out the mission successfully.
One zookeeper was able to hold and drag the baby zebra while the other kept splashing La Nina to keep her under control. The baby had been struggling to get out of the water by himself, so it was lucky that help came when he needed it.
Baby’s Cries
The video was posted to Valencia Bioparc’s YouTube channel and it soon went viral. The video captured the birth and the moment when the newborn fell into the watering hole, as well as the rescue mission. It gained a lot of popularity on the internet, but it had been even more thrilling for those who were actually at the park that day.
The baby zebra was making awfully loud wailing noises as the rescue team was trying to save him. Of course, he didn’t understand what was going on and probably thought they were trying to take him away from his mother rather than reunite them. After the mission was complete, the zookeepers left the scene, and La Nina was reunited with her baby.
Returning to Safety
After the zookeepers had rescued the baby, they quickly put him back on to dry land and made sure he was safe and far enough away from the watering hole, before climbing back into the water to distance themselves from La Nina.
If they had hung around too long, she might have had an issue with them being there. As soon as the little baby was out of the water and back to safety, La Nina went over to check he was ok. It had been a worrying time for her, and she was relieved her new baby was doing alright.
Safe and Sound!
If the rescue team hadn’t stepped in, there is no doubt that the baby zebra would not have survived the ordeal. If it had been in the wild, the baby would have definitely drowned. In this case, it is good that the zookeepers were observing the birth to make sure La Nina and her young were safe and healthy.
The Valencia Bioparc later published an article to say that La Nina and her baby were safe and sound. They were both doing well and enjoying mother-baby bonding time together. Valencia Bioparc said they were taking good care of them and giving both mother and baby the best care possible.
The Real Heroes
In this case, the two zookeepers who rushed to the scene to help La Nina and her baby in their hour of need were the real heroes. They didn’t give a moment’s thought about the danger involved and how La Nina could have reacted if things had gone wrong.
It’s a good job they were there to help. Not only did they save the newborn zebra, but they also stopped La Nina from feeling so distressed just after enduring giving birth. Now, La Nina and her baby are happy and healthy.
The Big Applause
Visitors at the zoo that day were there to witness the entire event. After the zookeepers pulled the baby zebra out of the water, the spectators burst into applause. The zookeepers really deserved the praise because they did an amazing job, putting their own lives at stake to save the baby zebra.
After the baby zebra was saved, he was checked over to make sure he was ok. He was also fed well to help him stay healthy. Luckily, nothing was wrong, and he hadn’t suffered any injuries after falling into the watering hole. The baby has yet to be given a name.
A Happy Baby
It’s safe to say the little zebra’s first day was an eventful one. In fact, it was an emotional and eventful day for everyone that day. The baby zebra was born, he fell into the watering hole and almost drowned, two zookeepers came in and rescued him and then all was well!
La Nina and her baby have established a loving bond, but that was obvious from day one, judging by how she was so distressed when he fell into the watering hole. La Nina smiles at her baby, and he smiles back. The eventful day when baby zebra fell into the water made him aware that he isn’t quite big enough to be experimenting with water just yet.
A Weighty Issue
Zebras might look small and elegantly built, but they are actually very heavy creatures. They definitely weigh more than they look. The baby zebra might only look small, but he himself was about 40kg or 70lbs in weight at the time of his birth.
Had it have been an adult zebra that needed lifting, it would have made it almost impossible for the two men to carry the zebra alone. Fortunately, the two men were bigger than the baby zebra, and they were able to lift him out of the water.
Meet the Parents
The parents of this energetic little baby actually originate from two very distinct countries. The two zebras who copulated to produce the inquisitive baby zebra are called La Nina and Zambe. La Nina was brought from Halle Park in Germany to the Bioparc in Spain in 2007.
The baby’s father, Zambe, was brought to the park in 2012. He came from France, where he lived in Safari De Peagres. It is thought that the baby zebra inherited his curious nature and adventurous trait from his father.
He Learned His Lesson
It was a traumatic experience for the baby zebra. Sadly his fun nature landed him in serious trouble that day. However, the good thing is that he quickly learned the dangers of getting too near to water. He now understands that water is for adult zebras, and he’s too young to join in on the fun at the moment.
It was definitely a hard-hitting lesson for the little one. He probably didn’t expect to experience so much on his first day on earth. Thankfully everything is ok now, and he is happy and healthy, living with his mother and the rest of the animals in the biopark.
Challenging Start
One thing is for sure, the zookeepers, spectators, La Nina, and her baby will all remember that day for some time to come! Quite possibly for the rest of their lives. The most important thing is that mother and baby are healthy and doing well. Plus, the two rescue men didn’t get hurt in the process of saving the little zebra.
The first few hours after the baby zebra was born were tough. Nobody could have foreseen what would happen that day, and it could have had a very tragic ending. But as everybody now knows, things worked out well and everybody involved is happy and healthy.
Learning to Swim
Valencia Bioparc recently shared a post updating everyone on the progress of the baby zebra. They informed followers that the baby zebra is now 7 months old and learning to swim. He’s now old enough to learn to swim properly and is no longer in danger of drowning.
The little zebra loves the water and can now enter into the water independently without causing his mother unintended distress. Luckily, the incident after he was born didn’t put him off the water. This story just goes to show how strong a mother’s love is. Even though La Nina was exhausted and in pain after giving birth, she did all she could to try and rescue her baby! A mother’s love knows no limits.
Guardian Otters
There was another incident, captured by photographer Suzi Eszterhas, involving otters. She said of the sighting that it was one of the loveliest moments of her life. Otters are known to be quite shy around humans, which is what makes this moment so special.
Suzi Eszterhas recalled a special moment when she spotted a mother otter with her baby. Usually, when mother otters have their babies near them, they don’t like humans to get too close. They are already shy by nature, but they become even more cautious when a mother has her babies.
Lending a Belly
While out capturing wildlife photography, Suzi spotted the cutest sight. It was a mother otter carrying her baby on her belly. Suzi began to snap pictures of the adorable scene. The mother otter carries her baby in this way so that he feels warm and stays safely out of the water.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be all smooth sailing for this mother and baby duo. It turned out on this particular day that the pair was going to face a bit of a challenge. They’d have to resume their peaceful nap later on.
Motherly Bond
As you’ve already seen with the zebra story, mothers protect their young no matter what. The otter is a small creature, similar in size to a rodent. As soon as the mother gives birth to their young, they teach their babies to swim right away so that they can quickly adapt to their new territory.
Suzi was taking photographs of the otters when she managed to capture a lovely moment between mother and baby. The mother was carrying the baby around on her belly to stop it going in the water and to keep it warm while it slept.
A Close Connection
Mother otters stay very close to their young at all times. They build a solid bond with their babies and teach them everything they need to learn to survive. It’s the mother’s job to keep their babies warm, feed them, teach them to swim, and clean them by blowing air on to them.
Sometimes otters come into contact with predators. The mother otter will always do her best to protect her young from any unknown creatures or potential predators. However, no mother otter could have predicted what was about to happen here.
Smile for the Camera!
Photographer Suzi Esztherhas was in the area to photograph the otters. The pictures she took were taken in Monterey Bay Harbor in California. The mother and baby duo was such an adorable picture, as they bonded together in the water.
As Suzi was clicking away, taking photos of the mother and baby otter together, the mother otter did the most surprising thing. It took everybody by surprise. Nobody expected her to do something like that suddenly.
Babysitting for the Otter
While Suzi was taking photos of the otters, the mother otter came over to Suzi. Suzi put her camera down and watched the mother otter in astonishment. The mother otter brought the baby to Suzi. It was as though the mother was asking Suzi to babysit her young.
Of course, Suzi was more than happy to lend the new mother a helping hand. Suzi watched over the baby otter while its mother went off to get food. It was such an unusual experience for Suzi and one she will remember forever.
It’s So Amazing
It’s so amazing how the mother otter saw something in Suzi. It was as if she sensed that she could trust the photographer with her baby. What’s even more special is that otters are not naturally forthcoming around humans; usually, they run off when they see a person. So to trust a human with their baby is very rare.
Suzi watched over the baby otter until its mother returned with food. Events like these two with the otter and zebra are so beautiful. As much as mothers like to think they know best, it’s touching to see them trust humans in order to help their babies.