In A View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond tells about the birth of a giraffe:
The first things to emerge are the baby giraffe’s front hooves and head. A few minutes later the plucky newborn is hurled forth, falls ten feet,
and lands on its back. Within seconds, he rolls to an upright position with his legs tucked under his body. From this position he considers the
world for the first time and shakes himself.
The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she positions herself directly over the calf. She waits for about a
minute, then she does the most unreasonable thing. She swings her long, pendulous leg outward and kicks her baby, so that it is sent sprawling
head over heels.
When it doesn’t get up, the violent process is repeated over and over again. The struggle to rise is momentous. As the baby calf grows tired,
the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts....Finally, the calf stands for the first time on its wobbly legs.
Then the mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing. She kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up! In
the wild,
...