A female bongo antelope was born in the Warsaw Zoo. Its subspecies is endangered. The zoo emphasized that the birth of the female is a major breeding success on a national scale.
“Welcome the new resident of the Warsaw Zoo, a native of Warsaw with African roots,” the Warsaw Zoo wrote on social media. The name for the little resident was chosen by the caretakers, she was named Porzeczka. On Wednesday, she took her first walk with her mother.
“This adorable female came into the world on June 26. She is the child of Valkyrie (called Wala) and handsome Frank. Right after birth, the antelope quickly stood up and began to suckle her mother's milk. Mother Wala is very protective and does not leave her little one's side,” the Warsaw zoo described.
An endangered species
Bongo antelopes live in Africa. They are the largest of the forest antelopes there, and the eastern mountain subspecies is critically endangered. “This species has a chance to survive thanks to the young born in zoos,” the Warsaw zoo noted.
Its breeding is closely coordinated by the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) as part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).
The capital city zoo stressed that the birth of Porzeczka was a major breeding success on a national scale, as it is a species rarely seen in European zoos.
“There are only 19 eastern mountain bongo antelopes of the subspecies bongo in Polish zoos, and only about 140 individuals live in the wild,” it added.
The Warsaw Zoo is home to a total of 6 bongos: a “raisin” male, Franek, and five females: Chilli, Walkiria, Maliki, Hela, and little Porzeczka. Melody was also born in the zoo, but she left last year for the zoo in Wrocław.
Main image source: Anna Węgrzynowicz/Warsaw ZOO