JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — Two critically endangered eastern bongo were born at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens over the last two months.
Both calves are female, with one arriving Dec. 17 and the other on Jan. 8. They are the first offspring for their 2-year-old respective mothers, Sienna and Shimba, and father Mickey, and increase the zoo's bongo herd to five.
"Our animal care team is very excited with how well the first-time mothers are doing. This is great news for our herd and we look forward to more offspring in the future to enhance conservation efforts for this species," said Corey Neatrour, assistant curator of mammals.
Bongo are the largest African forest antelope and are found throughout central and west Kenya. But eastern bongo, also known as mountain bongo, are only found in a small mountain region in central Kenya.
They are known for their striking appearance: Adult males and females have thick, slightly spiraled horns, whitish-colored stripes and a red coat, with females usually being lighter in color than males.
Sienna's calf weighed 42 pounds at her neonatal exam on Dec. 22; Shimba's weighed 38 pounds at her exam on Jan. 11.
The calves’ names will be decided through an online auction Friday at the zoo’s annual Toast to Conservation.
The new mothers were born at the Jacksonville Zoo in 2018. They and their calves are among the 20 bongo born there since 2008, with sire Mickey arriving in 2019 from Cape May County Zoo.
Bongo come and go based on breeding recommendations through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Bongo Species Survival Plan. Eastern bongo are listed as critically endangered because of human activities such as deforestation and hunting.
In 2006 a bongo born at the local zoo was sent to central Kenya. Also, the American Association of Zoo Keepers Jacksonville chapter has supported eastern bongo conservation through donations to the Bongo Surveillance Project over the past three years. The local zoo’s conservation department matches their contribution each year.
Visitors can see the new calves and their parents in their exhibit along the Africa loop. Also in the exhibit are yellow-backed duiker, another species of antelope found through central and western Africa.
Beth Reese Cravey: bcravey@jacksonville.com
JACKSONVILLE ZOO AND GARDENS TOAST TO CONSERVATION
The annual fundraiser will take place virtually 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday. Guests speaker is Ian Craig, founder and director of The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, the leading sanctuary for black rhinos and Grevy’s zebra in east Africa, which is also home to other endangered or threatened species. General viewing tickets are free. To register or get more information, go to jacksonvillezoo.org/Toast.
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