Moose antelope has been a popular resident of the Debrecen Zoo’s Africa Panorama Runway for many years, delighting its employees and visitors year after year with offspring. To keep this going, the current members of the herd have moved to another zoo, except for the senior bull, and were replaced on November 15 by a young cow with excellent genetics from the Ostrava Zoo in the Czech Republic. Visitors are also expected to see two members of the future breeding team expanding with more females next year on their common 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 up to 180 cm and a bodyweight 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 imposing. 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.
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