Like last year, this year is very eventful for the moose herd at the Debrecen Zoo, as the two calves born in the spring received another small buddy on July 23 – this is the second year in a row that the institution has grown by no less than three offspring.
According to the announcement of Dr. Gergely Sándor Nagy, managing director, the gender of the little female was only recently established, as her mother strongly protected her in the presence of caregivers. Nevertheless, she enjoys good health and impeccable appetite, and in addition to a lot of rest, she is seen more and more as she gets to know her surroundings or plays with her older peers on the African Panorama catwalk.
The moose (Taurotragus oryx), native to the southern and eastern savannas of Africa, is the second largest antelope species alive today, as adult bulls can reach a height of 180 cm at the withers and a body weight of one tonne. Like its size, the vertical white stripe on its reddish sand-colored coat and the multi-twisted, straight horn, which often exceeds half a meter in length, are impressive. The species is mainly threatened by habitat loss and poaching for its meat, skin and trophy, so it is on the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. It is a real zoo rarity in Hungary, as it can only be seen in Győr and Debrecen, but in the latter institution we can meet a herd that is expanding year by year.
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