Two antelope calves native to Central Africa born at Maryland Zoo
BALTIMORE -- Two female sitatunga calves native to Central Africa were born at the Maryland Zoo over the weekend.
One of the antelope calves was born Friday afternoon; It weighed 3.65 kilograms at birth, according to zoo staff.
The other antelope calf was born on Sunday afternoon. It weighed 3.25 kilograms at birth, zoo staff said.
These are the first offspring of the zoo's adult male, which was specially selected to participate in the zoo's breeding program, according to zoo staff.
The male sitatunga was transferred to the Maryland Zoo as recommended by the Sitatunga Species Survival Plan that was put together by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, zoo staff said.
The calves will stay out in a private behind-the-scenes area with their mothers, Erin Grimm, the curator of Mammals at the Maryland Zoo, said.
"We'll make a determination about when they can make their public debut outside with the rest of the herd soon," Grimm said.
The two new calves join a sitatunga hert of 10 animals that reside in two habitats along the boardwalk in the Zoo's African Journey, according to zoo staff.
In Central Africa, the sitatunga live in swamps, marshes, and floodplains, zoo staff said.
They are vulnerable to over-hunting and habitat loss due to human activity along the swamp land. But they are not classified as threatened or endangered, according to zoo staff.
