Woburn Safari Park has welcomed the birth of one of the world's most endangered large mammals, a female Eastern mountain bongo calf.
The new arrival represents a vital step forward for this antelope species on the brink of extinction.
Eastern mountain bongo have suffered devastating losses due to habitat destruction, poaching and disease. Fewer than 100 remain in the wild, confined to fragmented pockets of Kenya’s high-altitude montane forests.
The calf was born on October 3, and is the first female of her kind born at Woburn Safari Park in over a decade - a hopeful sign for the future of the species.
The calf’s mother, Othaya, has had previous challenges giving birth, and was monitored closely by Head of Section, Tom Robson.
“This is Othaya’s second calf, and she struggled giving birth to her first, so we checked her frequently throughout the night,” Tom said, “Thankfully all was well and we’re happy to see a strong-looking calf. Othaya struggled to feed the new arrival at first, so we provided a supplement, but now mum is doing a great job. "We’re all very pleased, as it’s a female calf she will hopefully go on to breed in the future and play a part in the survival of the bongo species.”
