
By Lisa Pomeroy, The Associated PressCLEVELAND — A Cleveland national forest ranger helped a baby forest giraffe get back on its feet by wrapping a blanket around its neck and keeping it inside the trunk of a tree.
The Forest Service’s Wild Animal Care and Rescue program is an off-grid approach that uses a tent and a mobile phone to help animals, especially young ones, recover.
A rescue crew rescued the giraffe from a tree near the park Thursday morning.
It was about three weeks old and weighing about 6 pounds when the rescue team arrived.
The animal was not injured, according to a Forest Service press release.
The baby giraffes mother and its calf were not hurt.
They will be cared for by a local wildlife rehabilitator.
The animal is about 5-feet-2 and weighs about 12 pounds.
The ranger also helped the giraffar regain its footing after being in a tree for about 15 minutes.
The giraffe was in a small tree that was on the side of the park with a rope around its ankles, and was in need of a rescue rope, the release said.
The giraffe has not been in a stable environment for more than a month.
It will be evaluated for a month and then returned to its natural habitat.