GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — John Ball Zoo welcomed a female eastern mountain bongo calf to their family last month.
Chestnut was born to her mother, 4-year-old Carrot, and her father, 10-year-old Beckson, on July 23.
Chestnut is the pair's second calf, as her older brother Sprout was born last year.
She's healthy and staying with Carrot behind the scenes right now, but zoo officials said she'll be in her outdoor habitat next week.
“The birth of a critically endangered species is a significant milestone in the conservation of this amazing species," said Tim Sampson, curator at John Ball Zoo. "We are happy to report that both mom and baby are doing well.”
The eastern mountain bongo is one of the largest forest antelopes. They're primarily found in forested mountains in Kenya.
The species is critically endangered due to poaching, habitat destruction and illegal trapping.
Carrot and Beckson's babies, Sprout and Chestnut, are a part of the Species Survival Plan Program at John Ball Zoo that aims to save wildlife. The zoo has been working to help the bongo population survive for more than a decade.
Chestnut's birth comes in addition to the recent birth of a snow leopard cub, three lynx kits and the hatching of three penguin chicks.
