A Giraffe is Born! – Photographs by Tony Crocetta/Biosphoto

Witnessing the birth of a giraffe in the wild is a rare occurrence. Photographer Tony Crocetta was fortunate to be at hand when this female giraffe gave birth in the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya. Following a tense labour the baby finally emerged, dropping around 5 ft to the ground. The mother immediately turned to nuzzle her newborn, encouraging him to stand up on his long wobbly legs, and within a few hours he was running around with the rest of the young in the herd. At around 6ft (1.8m), giraffes are the tallest babies on earth, and will reach a massive16 to 20ft (5 to 6m) when fully grown.