On October 16, Othaya, a first-time mother, gave birth to the male eastern mountain bongo calf in Woburn Safari Park. This was the first time the species had been born there in almost a decade.
Less than 100 eastern mountain bongos survive in the wild due to hunting that has nearly wiped them out.
“The large, healthy male calf was born after a lengthy labor and was soon observed standing on unsteady legs in the deep bed of straw ready for his arrival,” stated Tom Robson, head of reserves. The calf and mother are both doing quite well.
The father of the calf, Sonny, joined the four-member bongo herd in the park last November and quickly got to work, exhibiting reproductive behaviors and effectively mingling with the females.
The father of the calf, Sonny, came to Woburn last year as part of the endangered species management program run by the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA).
Due to habitat loss and poaching, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List has listed the eastern mountain bongo as critically endangered.
