Have you ever wondered why it is so difficult for animals in captivity to give birth? Well, for many of them the situation they are now forced to live in, sometimes proves to be too much. It causes them to experience elevated levels of stress. Think about it. An animal who has miles and miles of terrain to cover suddenly confined to a place no bigger than a few feet wide.
Remember that a great part of these animals’ identities relies on being able to hunt. It’s what they were born to do and all they know. Having their meals given to them on a consistent basis is not fun anymore. They feel their senses start to numb and they have the need to let all that stress go. This became understood by caretakers of killer whales.
They discovered that after being in captivity, their whales became stressed. That by itself caused physical changes in their body. This made them study them to find out if there was a way of reversing it. They thought that maybe there could be a way of helping them ‘feel’ more comfortable but nothing was working. The only thing that made a difference for them was setting them free.
When governments in many countries agreed on banning the use of animals in any type of circus events, it made a clear mark on the lives of many of them for the better. Government organizations formed around the globe and many of them were rescued. After having the chance to return to the wild, many of these animals’ emotional scars healed as they could be themselves again.
Natural reserves provided these animals with space they needed to roam free and to go back to their usual lives. These habitats are overseen by groups of biologists and scientists who spend their lives finding out ways of helping them. Now for zookeepers, this is a different story. Some of them will say that it is a little tougher for them because the animals they have are in a confined space.
The keepers in the following video are very excited. Finally, after many weeks, it is time for one of their tigresses to give birth. They have been following her pregnancy closely and know that everything should go as planned. They are not helping here physically, they are just monitoring her vitals and looking through a glass. They see her cub come out and the cub is beautiful. Then, they see something else inside…
