There are new arrivals among the common eland herd of the Debrecen Zoo every year; today, almost exactly one year after our last announcement of a newborn calf, we are happy to introduce yet another offspring.
The little female was born on May 22 after about 9 months of gestation, right in front of lucky visitors who could even witness her first steps shortly afterwards. She is in good health, with an excellent appetite, and spends a lot of time running around the Africa Panorama Enclosure.
Members of the bovid family, common elands (Taurotragus oryx) are native to the savannahs in South and East Africa. They are the second largest antelope species, surpassed in size only by giant elands; an adult male can easily reach a wither height of 180 cm and a weight of 1000 kg. Such an impressive size is coupled with charismatic looks, including a reddish or sand-colored coat with white stripes from back to belly and straight spiral horns often over 50 cm in length. Threatened primarily by habitat loss as well as poaching for meat, skin and trophies, they are included in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Like a number of our other residents, the little calf is yet to be adopted. If you want to make him really happy while also offering us tremendous help, please consider becoming a zoo foster parent. Further info at:
www.zoodebrecen.hu/content/supportus.html
Debrecen Zoo and Amusement Park
