A healthy eastern bongo calf, an endangered species, has been born at Dublin Zoo.
The female calf was born to mother Annabel last February 20th.
Bringing Dublin Zoo’s eastern bongo herd to three, Annabel’s new arrival “marks an important milestone to the conservation programme for the species”, Dublin Zoo said in a statement on Thursday.
The eastern bongo calf is classified as a critically-endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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Dublin Zoo team leader Helen Clarke said the birth is “particularly special”, given the critically endangered status of eastern bongos, with fewer than 100 believed to remain in the wild.
“Every new arrival is a vital step forward in the conservation of this rare and beautiful species,” she said.
Two-year-old Annabel is a first-time mother, having arrived pregnant from Belfast Zoo last August. Her due date was unclear, but staff set up a camera in her indoor habitat on February 19th so they could monitor her.
Annabel delivered her calf in an off-camera section of her habitat, however, so staff were “surprised to discover a beautiful healthy calf on the morning of February 20th”, a spokesperson for the zoo said.
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Fewer than 100 eastern bongos remain in the wild. Found only in the mountain forests of Kenya, these antelopes face growing threats from habitat destruction, illegal hunting and human-wildlife coexistence.
Ms Clarke said the calf’s first few days were “a little challenging” as she needed bottle feeding due to initially struggling to suckle. She added, however, that progress since then has been “fantastic”.
The calf began suckling naturally on February 25th and has been steadily gaining weight.
“It’s been wonderful to watch the bond between her and her mother Annabel grow stronger each day,” Ms Clarke said.
Dublin Zoo supports the Mountain Bongo Surveillance Project in Kenya, which aims to protect the species by monitoring wild populations and working with local communities.
