Chicago's Brookfield Zoo Announces Birth of Critically Endangered Addax, 2nd Calf Within 12 Months.

A spokesperson for Brookfield Zoo in Chicago has announced the birth of a critically endangered Addax calf for the second time in the past year.

A vital and exciting new addition to the zoo, the female calf was born on March 28 as conservation programs for the African antelope continue.

Critically Endangered Addax Calf

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has estimated that there may only be 100 addaxes left in the wild worldwide.

The calf, who is now almost a month old, was born weighing slightly more than 15 pounds. Near the northwest corner of the zoo, along the 31st Street walkway, the calf is accompanied by her 6-year-old mother, Simone.

Ivy, a 3-year-old female addax, and Simon, a male offspring of Simone born in July 2022, are other addaxes that are presently housed at the zoo.

The zoo reports that there are reportedly more addax in North America's professional care facilities than there are in the wild, NBC5 Chicago reports.

Addax by Any Other Name

The addax is an antelope that is native to the Sahara Desert, where it was once widely distributed. Its other names are white antelope and screwhorn antelope. The sole surviving population in the wild, however, is now found in Niger's Termit/Tin Toumma region.

Henri de Blainville published the first scientific description of the lone Addax species in 1816. The pale antelope, as implied by its alternate name, has long, twisted horns that range in length from 22 to 31 inches for females, while males have 28 to 33 inches. While females stand between 37 and 43 inches tall at the shoulder, males range from 41 to 45 inches.

Due to the size difference between the sexes, they are sexually dimorphic. The coat's color changes with the season. during the winter, its coat is greyish-brown with white hindquarters and legs. It also has long, brown hair on its head, neck, and shoulders. It almost completely whitens or turns sandy blonde during the summer, according to Animalia.

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Tourists are Threats

The addax roams the desert in herds of five to twenty animals, each headed by an adult male who commands respect. Males make an effort to create their own territory and try to confine fertile females to these areas. In his territory, one male will mate with many females. The oldest animals are placed at the top of the dominance hierarchy established by females. The addax is a runner with "short legs." It can be preyed upon by faster predators because it cannot run at very high speeds.

Addaxes are slow-moving, heavily built antelopes that make easy prey for people with contemporary weapons. In many areas of its original range, hunting has reduced and even wiped out large numbers of native populations. The animals are also impacted by tourists driving four-wheel-drive cars and chasing them until they pass out from exhaustion. Addax populations have been declining due to recent droughts, the rising human population, and the desertification of savanna lands, according to Animal Diversity Web.