Incredible moment rare manatee gave birth to baby calf

By Douglas Whitbread via SWNS

This incredible footage shows the birth of an endangered West Indian manatee – one of only 39 alive today in Europe.

The extremely cute calf, which arrived at 9:18 Thursday (Dec 30) morning, is the newest addition to Burgers' Zoo breeding program, based in Arnhem, Netherlands.

The footage shows the baby instantly taking to the water and swimming alongside its mom as it adjusts to its new habitat, which mimics the mangrove forests of Central America.

The water-born mammals are classed as “vulnerable” by Charity, The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which keeps a “red list” of species that may soon become extinct.

This is because manatees come up to the surface to breath, putting them at risk of fatal injuries from motorboat propellers and from being caught in fishing nets.

There are 24 male “bull” manatees that make up the 39 in European zoos today, so keepers are hoping that the new calf will turn out to be a female when closer inspections take place.