Rare Antelope Bontebok Calf Born in Oregon Zoo, Population Reaches 2500

A calf of the rare bontebok antelope, which has only 2500 individuals worldwide, was recently born at the Oregon Zoo. The Oregon Zoo's newest exhibit is adorable and is assisting in the recovery of a once-vulnerable species.

On April 1, a baby bontebok was born at the zoo to his mother Winter, who is eight years old.

Bontebok: A Rare Antelope

The coastal plains of northwest South Africa are home to a species of grazing antelope known as the bontebok. But today, the herbivores are restricted to zoos, farms, and game preserves because they were hunted to almost complete extinction in the early 20th century.

According to the news release, the unnamed calf is just under 18 pounds and appears healthy. A plasma transfusion and additional feedings were given to the infant because he did not begin nursing right away after birth. According to the Oregon Zoo, he appears to have recovered.

A couple of additional bottle feedings were given to the calf before it was returned to its mother, according to Kelly Gomez, who is in charge of the zoo's African exhibit. He was nursing just fine the previous night. Gomez describes the newborn calf as a strong, handsome young antelope.

Gomez cited the infant as living evidence of the influence people can have when working together to protect wildlife.

Hunted Down to 17

Later, Gomez noted that only 17 bonteboks remained on the planet a few hundred years prior and that the species was on the verge of extinction.

The zoo claims that during the 18th and 19th centuries, Dutch settlers in southern Africa overhunted the antelopes because they thought of them as pests.

But there is one crucial way that the bontebok differs from other antelopes: they cannot jump. The zoo claims that as a result, the 17 bonteboks that were still alive in 1837 were safely contained by several sympathetic farmers in a fenced-in area.

When South Africa's Bontebok National Park was created in 1931, the species slowly started to recover.

Bontebok National Park

The smallest national park in South Africa today, Bontebok is proud to brag about its successes in protecting biodiversity, from the bontebok to the critically endangered fynbos veld type, coastal Renosterveld. The most antelopes that Bontebok National Park can accommodate while still preserving biodiversity as a whole are the 200 antelopes living there. The park now provides a lot more for nature lovers, including over 200 amazing bird species and a variety of native animal life.

There are 2,500 to 3,000 bontebok, with 1,618 mature animals, and they are currently categorized as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. According to IUCN data, agriculture and aquaculture, including annual and perennial non-timber crops, as well as livestock farming and ranching, pose the biggest threats to the species. Another threat is hunting and trapping, followed by diseases and invasive species.

Gomez stated that the bontebok is an amazing conservation success story and that the zoo team hopes to spur on more accomplishments similar to this in the future, CNN reports.