Friendly, Charismatic Giraffe to Give Birth Live

The Dallas Zoo is preparing to celebrate the birth of a baby giraffe — a very special event in the life a zoo. And to share their enthusiasm with the public, a live feed has been created, which, at the time of writing, has been watched by over half a million viewers.

As Katie the Giraffe goes into labor, and then gives birth, the event will be covered from literally every angle. Eight separate cameras will capture the event and those feeds will be combined to broadcast the event live online. The Animal Planet television network will also interrupt its programming to broadcast the event live.

Our fascination with the birth of an exotic animal is intriguing. Katie the Giraffe is described as “one of the friendliest and most charismatic” animals in the zoo, a description that makes me want to be Katie’s friend, even though she’s a giraffe. Describing her as friendly and charismatic implies she possesses the kind of consciousness and intention that we know from our experience with humans.

Attributing human traits to animals, called anthropomorphism, is often a thorn in the side of scientists who see our desire to make animals familiar as an impediment to a fuller understanding of their nature. But as Big Think expert Sam Gosling explains, our understanding of animals as humans is natural, and may even be helpful when it comes to matching pet owners to certain pets.

No word yet on whether the Dallas Zoo is looking for a friendly and charismatic human to care for Katie and her new baby. Stay tuned…