Purnimama's New Calf

On Friday May 16 at about 8am Purnimama gave birth to our third baby camel of the year. Mother and baby are doing well. The baby, named "Not-Two Mama", is a female, of cream-gray coloration. This is Purni's first baby. She is proving to be a good mother.

The three mothers move about and camp down together in a loosely-knit pod. The babies follow closely, playing and cavorting with one another and with their much larger aunts and uncles. The mothers share the child-rearing responsibilities, spelling each other from time to time, suckling one another's babies. Two of them are first time mothers, and clearly having to adjust to their new responsibilities. They can no longer be as carefree as before. Purnimama has undergone a remarkable change in her relational capacity. Once very shy and timid she is now steady, forceful, grounded and personable.

Google Mama, the matriarchal herd leader, while introducing herself to the other two calves, clearly impressed the two new mothers that both their new babies are also hers, that she is ultimately in charge of all the young ones. Purnimama accepted this without difficulty. Muffin argued a little before yielding to the herd matriarch. Google Mama has her attention on all three babies, frequently connecting with them and guiding them.

Stuart