The Story
“Baby Giraffes Steal Milk, and Adults Let Them Do It”
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2076245-baby-giraffes-steal-milk-and-adults-let-them-do-it/
by Anna Nowogrodzki
New Scientist, February 3, 2016
The pitch
[Nowogrodzki notes: For context, this is an editor I already had an established relationship with, so it’s briefer than it might be otherwise and doesn’t include my experience, clips, etc.]
Baby giraffes steal milk from other moms
Surprisingly often–over 80% of the time, more than in any other non-domesticated mammal– baby giraffes suckle from mothers that aren’t their own. A new study indicates that they’re probably stealing milk, because they usually nurse at the same time as the biological offspring while trying to hide behind them. Mothers may tolerate the stealing if their own offspring can reciprocally steal from other mothers.
Animal Behaviour http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000334721500439X
No embargo, went up online two days ago (according to my RSS feed), no other coverage that I could find. I look forward to hearing what you think when you get a moment. Thanks!
