Antelope

Watch As Queens Zoo's Pronghorn Fawns Zip Around

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Photo Credit: Julie Larsen Maher

The Queens Zoo saw the arrival of four Pronghorn Antelope fawns. The fawns were born to two different mothers one week apart, and include one set of female twins and a second male-female set, bringing the Zoo’s Pronghorn herd up to a total of eight.

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Each fawn has a coat of soft brown fur and enormous dark-brown eyes. Already they can be seen prancing around their exhibits on their signature long legs, which give the species its incredible speed. Pronghorn are one of the world’s fastest land animals, second only to the cheetah. They also rank highly for endurance, second to Arctic caribou for the longest-distance migration in the Western Hemisphere.

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Two of the fawns can be seen on the Farm, where visitors can watch zookeepers bottle-feed them a nutrient-rich formula several times a day, as you see in this video.

The two younger fawns remain in the Plains habitat which they share with a herd of bison just as they would in the wild. Those babies spend much of their time running through the large, open space. 

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Baby Bongo Born at Franklin Park Zoo

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A bongo calf, the offspring of Annakiya, age 7, and Junior, age 5, was born on exhibit at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, MA, on June 15, before the Zoo opened to the public. The gender has not yet been determined. Mom Annakiya was also born at the Zoo and the calf can be seen on exhibit with her.

“The baby has been observed nursing and is moving around, which are very positive signs. As with all new births, we will closely monitor the mother and baby,” said John Linehan, Zoo New England President and CEO, adding, “This is not only an exciting birth for the zoo, but it is also a significant one. This calf will join the rest of our animals in delighting visitors and highlighting the importance of protecting natural habitats around the world.”

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 Photo Credit: Photo 1 Sarah Woodruff, Photo 2-4 Christina Demetrio

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Baby Blackbuck Kicks Up Her Heels

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It's as if she's saying, "I'm here World!" And that is very good news, as this animal is severely threatened.

Last month, in the Kaziranga Forest Trail at the Dublin Zoo, blackbuck parents Honey and Basil welcomed this lively little female - their first offspring. She's also the first ever blackbuck newborn at the Zoo. Team leader Ciaran McMahon said, “We are thrilled with the arrival of our first blackbuck calf. We hope to grow the herd to approximately seven or eight, and the new calf is a great start. The youngster is fit and nimble but still quite shy; however she can be seen bouncing around the elephant habitat between 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. every day.”

Contrary to what their name suggests, the coloring of female calves like this one is a light tan shade. In adulthood, male bucks have striking black and white fur, and two long, twisted horns (they can be as long as 31 inches, or 46 cm), while females are fawn colored and without horns.

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The blackbuck is a species of the antelope and one of the fastest terrestrial animals in the world, reaching speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 km/hr). In India, their country of origin, blackbucks live side by side with elephants and at the Dublin Zo, blackbucks also co-habit with their herd of Asian elephants.

Often called the Indian antelope, due to their native range being in Indian subcontinent (which includes Pakistan and Nepal), dramatically decreased, as it was the most hunted animal in the country. Though now Indian laws prohib it hunting the blackbuck to protect this endangered species, there are still incidents of poaching, because it's flesh and skin get quite a high price in the markets. In addition, man continues to encroach upon its habitat, mostly turning it into grazing areas for cattle -- and those cattle also have spread bovine diseases to the blackbuck. In 2008 the population estimate in the wild was estimated to be a startlingly low 184 antelope.

 


Royalty Born at San Diego Zoo!

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On February 8, the San Diego Zoo welcomed a tiny male Royal Antelope calf, weighing just 17 ounces! The decision was made to hand-feed the calf after it displayed a low body temperarture and wasn't feeding shortly after birth. The nipple on the calf's baby bottle had to be specially made to fit his tiny antelope mouth. In April, 2003 San Diego became the first zoo in the Western Hemisphere to have a Royal Antelope birth. These shy nocturnal Antelope are the smallest Antelope species, measuring just 10-12 inches high and weighing only 9-10 pounds when fully grown.

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Photo credits: San Diego Zoo


Duikers Close-up with a Wide Angle Lens...

Komet the Yellow Backed Duicker at Houston Zoo

Meet Komet, a Yellow-backed Duiker born in early December 9th at the Houston Zoo. These large and gentle antelope live in the rainforests of central and western Africa. When they are alarmed, they flash a vivid yellow wedge of hair on their backs. While duikers are primarily vegetarians, they will eat insects from time to time and have even been observed stalking and eating rodents and small birds!

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Mama Duiker at the Houston Zoo Mama Duiker at Houston Zoo bPhoto credits: First image, Laurie McGivern, Hoof Stock Supervisor, second and third images Stephanie Adam / Houston Zoo


Antlered Beasts in Record Numbers!

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Desert Antelopes, a highly threatened and beautiful group of animals, are a key part of Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort’s (AWPR) conservation work. The year 2010 has seen a bumper harvest of young animals born in the zoo and a number of conservation research initiatives are moving ahead. 2010 marked one of AWPR’s best recorded year for Antelope births, with a record number of young Antelope raised, including 16 Scimitar-horned Oryx, 27 Arabian Oryx, ten Beisa Oryx, four Addax, three Chad Dama Gazelles, six Mhorr Dama Gazelles and six Speke’s Gazelles.

Addax-003 Addax babies huddle up behind Mom (above).

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Mhorr-gazelle-003cropA baby Mhorr Gazelle pauses during a drink.

More [PHOTOS] below the fold...

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Playful Baby Antelope Frolic in the Swiss Snow

This past November Switzerland's Zoo Basel welcomed three new Sable Antelope calves. This brings the total number of Sable Antelope bred at Zoo Basel to seventy! To ensure the genetic health of the species at their facilities, zoos regularly transfer Sable Antelope between institutions internationally and Zoo Basel plays a big role in this exchange. Antelope calves are playful and love to test their long legs with sprints. These babies are clearly enjoying the snow.

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Sable Antelope Calf at Zoo Basel 1

Sable Antelope Calf at Zoo Basel 1

Sable Antelope Calf at Zoo Basel 1

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Houston Zoo Welcomes a Baby Eland

The Houston Zoo welcomed the arrival of a baby giant on October 11.  A baby Giant Eland, that is. Mom Dorothy gave birth to an as yet unnamed male calf between noon and 1 p.m. on Monday, October 11.  The calf was standing on his own at 1:30 and was nursing 10 minutes later.  He weighed 60 pounds at birth.

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Photo credits: Stephanie Adams

 

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Rare Baby Antelope Born White as a Sheet

A rare white antelope has been born at Paignton Zoo. The Kafue Flats lechwe calf was born on Sunday 23rd May. She is the first white lechwe born at Paignton Zoo in over 20 years. Her keepers have named her Sethunya, meaning blossom, because of the hawthorn blossom around the paddock. Paignton Zoo spokesperson Phil Knowling said: “The lechwe are shy animals in a large paddock and she is very small, so she may be difficult to see - but she is white so she does stand out. She is a naturally-occurring curiosity – and very lovely!" The youngster’s coloring is due to a double recessive gene that only occurs in females. She is not a true albino as her eyes are blue not pink.

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