Toddlers can be nearly impossible to wrangle when they’re having fun, and apparently, baby animals are no different! @keepersierra, a zookeeper at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Kansas, plays babysitter to many of the residents, including the most adorable (and stubborn!) baby pygmy hippo named Mars, and many other little ones.
In this clip, Sierra is working to get her herd of giraffes inside for the night, and the adults file in without a single problem. The toddlers, on the other hand, are a whole different story. There are zoomies. There’s obstinacy. There’s pretending to walk inside only to change their minds at the last possible second. Sierra tries to reason with them, but not one of them is having it!
Sierra made us laugh in the video’s caption when she admitted, “Honestly no one listens to me around here lol!” If you’ve seen her deal with Mars, you know it’s the truth! Commenter @pavelrendl agreed, “Mars told them that you will pick them up and take them inside if they don’t listen LOL!” Good luck with that! The baby giraffes are a lot bigger than a baby pygmy hippo, but apparently, just as stubborn!
Commenter @cyborgcinderella cracked us up when she shared, “It’s nice to know that babies/toddlers are all the same no matter the species LOL!”
Related: Memphis Zoo Shares a Day in the Life of Their Baby Giraffe and It’s Precious
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Commenters Laugh at the Baby Giraffes’ Stubbornness
At the end of the day, most parents are ready for their kids to hit the hay. But if you’re a giraffe mom or dad, chances of that happening are slim. One of my favorite facts about giraffes has to do with how much, or rather how little, they sleep.
Giraffes have one of the shortest sleep durations among all land mammals, and it’s probably even less than you might guess. Wildlife FAQ explains, “On average, adult giraffes sleep for about 30 minutes a night, and their entire sleep cycles are typically around 35 minutes or shorter. This brief period of sleep is divided into short bursts that rarely exceed five minutes. Despite their limited sleep time, giraffes seem to function well and thrive in their natural habitat.”
Baby giraffes don’t sleep much more than that — only a few hours total each night — so it’s no wonder these little ones weren’t ready to head in for the day. They’re definitely not ready for bed, and they’re making sure Sierra knows it!
This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Nov 18, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.