At Last! . . . Final Bongo Calf Born to Virginia Zoo's Herd of Bongo

There are lots of babies at the Zoo this fall – lions, bongo, cranes, and Angolan pythons

Norfolk, VA (OCT. 16, 2009) - It’s a zoo-born nursery at the Virginia Zoo with a bountiful collection of babies on exhibit.  The most recent addition is the long awaited third baby bongo born this week on October 13.  For weeks, visitors have been keeping an eye on the heavily pregnant mother, Betty, sending emails to the Zoo asking if the baby had been born. Betty finally went into labor while on exhibit around 4:30 p.m., and several Zoo visitors had the amazing opportunity to witness the birth and see the baby take its first steps. Zookeepers named the male calf Baxter.

Bongo are very rare – in the wild and even in captivity – but the Virginia Zoo is practically a baby bongo factory with three new babies born since August (including females Elka and Jade). They join the Zoo’s herd of three adult females, one adult male and now five juveniles and newborns for a total heard size of 9 bongos – a very rare site in any Zoo.

“There is nothing more appealing than a baby animal,” notes Greg Bockheim, executive director of the Virginia Zoo. “For Zoo visitors, the babies are cute and fun because they are so playful as they explore the world and meet the members of their families. For Zoo staff, it’s exciting because successful births in captivity are key indicators that animals are healthy and well cared for.  Many of the births this year also represent species that are endangered in the wild, so the babies also represent hope for survival of these wonderful animals.”

Other babies at the Zoo include an East Africa crowned crane that hatched in the very fertile bongo yard in August, the four lion cubs born in May, bog turtles and Angolan pythons hatched in August.  The lions, pythons and bongo are part of the Zoo’s participation in the Species Survival Plan (SSP). SSP is a program of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) that manages breeding programs in accredited zoos to ensure healthy, genetically sound matches that help promote the survival of endangered animals.  The Virginia Zoo is part of 18 national and international SSP programs.

Fall is the perfect time of year to visit the Zoo, because animals tend to be more active in cooler weather. Come see Baxter and his baby buddies, plus the other 350 animals at the Virginia Zoo daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.