I knew Makenzie was getting close to having her calf the night before.

The next morning, I found her upslope from the other yaks. She waggled her horns at me as I approached, a sure sign from an otherwise friendly yak that labor has begun. I kept my distance but stayed nearby.

Soon Makenzie decided to wander downhill to rejoin the others. With that, we decided to try to entice her and the others into a pasture closer to the house. We weren’t sure she would follow, but she did. And we successfully got her into the corral. She gave birth several hours later while the other yaks looked on. It was a quick and easy birth.

Within an hour, the calf was wobbling around on his legs, nursing, and follow Makenzie as she grazed.