19th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
New Life

It was a pretty yet uneventful morning drive. During that morning, we saw so many tiny baby Topis so we mentioned to our guide that it'd be nice to see a Topi giving birth. An hour later, the guide asked in the most casual way: "Here's a Topi giving birth. Would you like us to stay with it?" It was far in the distance, and just the tiny little bubble of the sac was sticking out, so it was amazing how he spotted it. Needless to say that we stayed for the whole birth process. We were the only car around, and we enjoyed this private show from a respectful distance. Here is the mother licking and tearing the amniotic sac allowing the baby to take its first breath.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2021
Photo Location: Kenya
Camera: NIKON D5
Copyright: © YARON SCHMID