In the dry wilderness of South Africa’s Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, a newborn springbok calf found itself in a very unusual situation. Its mother was nowhere to be seen, and the tiny calf appeared to make a remarkable mistake—it began following a giraffe as though the towering animal were its mother.
The encounter was filmed by Ernest Porter of Wild Spot Safaris and submitted to Latest Sightings. What began as a confusing sighting eventually became a tense little adventure involving a newborn calf, two giraffes and a worried group of observers.
The calf was eventually reunited with its real mother, but not before following the wrong animal across the landscape and narrowly avoiding a potentially dangerous kick.
A Newborn Springbok Calf Is All Alone
When the footage begins, a tiny springbok calf is standing near a giraffe.
Something immediately seems unusual.
There is no mother springbok beside the youngster.
The most likely explanation, according to the account of the encounter, is that the mother had left the calf resting in a safe location while she went off to feed. This behavior is important because newborn springboks do not necessarily remain beside their mothers constantly during their earliest days.
SANParks notes that when female springboks give birth, their lambs can remain hidden under vegetation while the mother moves away to feed.
But this particular calf apparently became separated from its mother.
And that created a very confusing situation.
Why Did the Baby Follow a Giraffe?
For a newborn animal, staying close to its mother is critical.
The calf had lost sight of the animal it was supposed to follow, and another large herbivore happened to be nearby.
That animal was a giraffe.
The giraffe obviously did not look anything like a springbok. It was enormous, long-legged and towering above the little calf.
Yet from the calf’s perspective, the important thing may simply have been that there was another animal moving through the same environment.
As the giraffe began walking away, the little springbok followed.
Its legs were still unsteady, and every step looked like an enormous effort compared with the giraffe’s long strides.
The Giraffe Keeps Walking
The difference in size between the two animals made the scene almost surreal.
A newborn springbok is small enough to disappear among vegetation, while an adult giraffe can stand several metres above the ground.
Yet the calf continued behind it.
Kgalagadi is particularly well known for its open landscapes, dry riverbeds and large concentrations of wildlife. SANParks lists both giraffes and springbok among the mammals found in the park.
This meant that the calf was not in a completely unfamiliar environment. It was simply following the wrong animal.
Another Giraffe Notices the Tiny Stranger
The situation became even more interesting when another giraffe noticed the calf.
The giraffe bent down to investigate the tiny animal.
For the observers watching from nearby, it was an extraordinary sight: a newborn springbok standing beneath an enormous giraffe.
But the giraffe did not necessarily understand what the calf wanted.
The calf, meanwhile, seemed determined to remain close.
The Calf Gets Too Close
Eventually, the giraffe became uncomfortable with the persistent little follower.
The calf continued moving closer until the giraffe reacted.
Then came the most dangerous moment of the encounter.
The giraffe lashed out with a hoof.
Fortunately, the kick narrowly missed the calf.
That was a very lucky escape.
A giraffe’s legs are powerful weapons, and even large predators have to be careful around an adult giraffe. For a newborn springbok, getting hit by a full-force kick could have been devastating.
This moment also shows why wildlife encounters that look cute from a distance can become dangerous very quickly.
The calf was not trying to provoke the giraffe. It simply did not understand that it was getting too close.
The Baby Still Doesn’t Give Up
Most animals would probably have taken the warning and moved away.
This calf did not.
As the giraffe continued walking, the springbok followed once again.
The little animal appeared to have completely committed itself to the idea that this was the animal it should stay with.
For the people watching, the situation became increasingly concerning.
The calf was tiny, inexperienced and separated from its mother.
And now it was following an animal that could not provide it with the care it actually needed.
The Harsh Reality of Being a Newborn
It is easy to look at the footage and imagine that the calf had somehow chosen a new mother.
But the reality is more complicated.
Young mammals depend heavily on instinct, smell and recognition to identify their mothers. In the first days of life, a newborn animal is still learning how its environment works.
The calf’s behavior in this encounter should therefore not be interpreted as proof that it had actually been permanently abandoned.
The original account says its mother had apparently wandered off to graze, leaving the calf temporarily alone.
That distinction matters.
What looked like abandonment may simply have been a normal separation that became confusing for the youngster.
Then Another Springbok Appears
Just when the situation was becoming worrying, another adult springbok appeared.
This was exactly what the observers wanted to see.
There was finally another member of the calf’s own species nearby.
But the youngster still had the giraffe in its sights.
The calf continued trying to keep up with the much larger animal.
That proved difficult.
The giraffe’s enormous strides carried it forward quickly, while the springbok’s tiny legs struggled to match the pace.
The Moment Everything Changes
Eventually, the giraffe stopped.
The little calf caught up.
Then something seemed to click.
The springbok looked around and noticed the adult springbok nearby.
Instead of continuing with the giraffe, the calf turned back.
It retraced its steps.
This was the turning point of the entire encounter.
After all the confusion, the youngster appeared to recognize the familiar animal.
The Calf Finds Its Mother
The little springbok walked directly toward the adult springbok.
The reunion was the moment everyone had been waiting for.
According to the footage account, the calf apparently recognized its mother after picking up her distinctive scent.
Suddenly, the strange journey behind the giraffe was over.
The calf had found the animal it had been searching for.
For Ernest Porter and the other observers, there was an obvious sense of relief.
The youngster was back where it belonged.
Why Scent Matters So Much
For many mammals, smell plays an important role in recognizing individuals.
This is especially useful in environments where many animals may be moving through the same area.
A newborn springbok may see countless animals around it, but its mother has a familiar combination of scent, appearance and behavior.
That can help explain why the calf was eventually able to abandon its giraffe-following adventure and return to the adult springbok.
The giraffe may have been the most obvious large animal nearby, but it could never provide the sensory cues of the calf’s actual mother.
A Thirsty Little Survivor
After the stressful adventure, the calf had another problem.
It was thirsty.
The Kgalagadi landscape can be extremely dry, with sparse vegetation and harsh conditions. SANParks describes the park as a vast landscape of red dunes, scrub and dry riverbeds, where springbok and other herbivores move through an arid environment.
Once reunited with its mother, the calf was able to settle down and drink.
It then rested in the shade.
The frantic little adventure was finally over.
The Mother and Calf Move On Together
With the natural order restored, the calf stayed much closer to its mother.
That was probably the biggest lesson from the entire encounter.
The giraffe had never been the calf’s mother.
It was simply the wrong animal at the wrong time.
But the calf’s instinct to follow a larger animal while separated from its mother shows just how vulnerable newborn wildlife can be.
A tiny mistake in the wilderness can quickly turn into a dangerous situation.
Kgalagadi Is Home to Both Species
The encounter happened in an environment where both giraffes and springbok naturally occur.
SANParks’ mammal checklist for Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park includes both giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) and springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis).
Kgalagadi covers more than 3.6 million hectares across South Africa and Botswana and is known for its large open landscapes, wildlife and predator sightings.
That makes unusual encounters between different species possible.
But this particular meeting was unusual because one of those animals appeared to temporarily mistake the other for its mother.
A Different Kind of Wildlife Story
Many wildlife videos show dramatic hunts, fights and escapes.
This one was completely different.
There was no predator chasing the calf.
No dramatic hunt.
No battle between competing animals.
Instead, the tension came from something much simpler: a newborn animal that had temporarily lost its mother and did not know which direction to go.
That made the encounter surprisingly compelling.
The calf’s persistence, the giraffe’s reaction and the eventual reunion all unfolded naturally without human intervention.
The Giraffe Was Never Really the Mother
The title of the video says the baby buck “thinks this giraffe is its mother,” but the footage is better understood as a temporary case of mistaken following.
The calf did not form a true mother-child relationship with the giraffe.
It simply followed the animal after losing sight of its own mother.
And thankfully, it eventually recognized the adult springbok that belonged to it.
That is an important distinction when telling wildlife stories: an adorable scene can still have a very practical explanation rooted in animal behavior.
What Happened to the Calf?
Fortunately, the story has a happy ending.
The calf reunited with its mother and appeared to be unharmed after its unusual journey.
It had survived the close encounter with the giraffe, found its way back to its own species and settled down for a drink and some rest.
The young springbok had essentially taken a wrong turn through the Kgalagadi.
Luckily, it found its way home.
Other Wildlife Encounters on KHXYZ
Wildlife encounters often show how quickly situations can change in the African wilderness.
In another remarkable encounter, a young leopard learned just how dangerous a porcupine can be. You can read Young Leopard Takes on a Porcupine and Gets a Prickly Surprise for another story involving an inexperienced animal making a risky decision.
There was also the extraordinary encounter in which a rhino baby confronted a group of 10 lions, showing how even young animals can sometimes behave unexpectedly when confronted by much larger predators.
And if unusual interspecies encounters interest you, take a look at 4 Porcupines Teach 3 Lions That They’re the King of the Road.
Watch the Original Video
You can watch the original “Abandoned Baby Buck Thinks This Giraffe is its Mother” footage on YouTube.
The footage was filmed by Ernest Porter of Wild Spot Safaris during a visit to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and was later featured by Latest Sightings.
Final Thoughts
The little springbok’s adventure was a reminder that the first days of life in the wild can be surprisingly difficult.
For a few moments, a newborn calf appeared to believe that a giraffe was the animal it should follow. It struggled to keep up, ignored a warning from the giraffe and continued on its strange journey.
Fortunately, the story ended exactly as everyone hoped.
The calf found its real mother, recognized her familiar scent and returned to her side.
Sometimes the most memorable wildlife encounters are not about predators or dramatic fights. Sometimes they are simply about a tiny animal getting lost, making a very unusual choice, and eventually finding its way home.
And for this little springbok, following a giraffe was certainly a mistake it was unlikely to forget.
