PREVIEW

On Wednesday, 16 October 2024 first-time mum Othaya welcomed a male bongo calf in the late afternoon.

The bouncing baby bongo boy is the first bongo calf born at Woburn Safari Park in over 10 years and is both a major success for both the park, as well as for global conservation efforts.

Proud father, Pesaka (affectionately known as Sonny by his keepers) arrived at Woburn in November 2023 as part of the EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquariums) endangered species management programme; A move coordinated by experts to ensure genetic diversity in captive breeding.

Tom Robson, Head of Reserves said “Othaya the bongo has successfully given birth to her first calf on Wednesday afternoon. After a long labour, the large healthy male calf was born and was soon seen standing on wobbly legs, in the deep bed of straw prepared for his arrival. Both Mum and calf are doing really well.

Sonny, the calf’s father, joined the four-strong bongo herd at the Park last November, and successfully mixed with the females, wasting no time in doing his job and displaying breeding behaviours. The bongo are part of a crucial breeding program and we are hoping in the future our new calf will travel to another wildlife collection and start a breeding group of his own.”

Mother and calf are currently being kept inside to give them time to bond and grow stronger. Meanwhile the bongo calf has completely stolen the keepers’ hearts with his enormous ears, timid but increasingly confident nature. The baby has been spotted walking around the stable exploring his environment, sticking close to mum while he grows steadier on his hooves. Keepers are currently keeping a very close eye on the two, to ensure baby is suckling well, and that mum is eating and recovering well.

The arrival of Othaya’s calf is not only a thrilling moment for the team at Woburn Safari Park but is also a remarkable chapter in her own story. Othaya is part of a set of twins – a very rare occurrence in antelope. Even more impressively, Othaya and her sibling were the only bongo twins born in the UK at the time of their birth. And now, with the arrival of her own calf, both Othaya and her baby represent a significant success story for the conservation of this critically endangered species.

The eastern mountain bongo species is classified as ‘Critically Endangered’ by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List, with populations drastically impacted by poaching and habitat loss.