LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – One of the joys of motherhood is being there for the big moments in your child’s life, and at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, a care team is overseeing milestones by both an adult female addax and her calf.
Julien, a two-month-old addax, is the first such male calf born at the resort and for mom Juniper, it’s been a journey from the time she was born at the resort to being a first-time mom.
Recommended Videos
In 2021, Juniper’s mom died during childbirth from natural birth complications. Baby Juniper was bottle-fed and raised by an incredible team of animal keepers who are now witnessing Juniper become a mom after overcoming challenges.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
“Juniper received a plasma transfusion within the first week of her life, we were working on getting her adapted to drink from a bottle, making sure nutritionally she is getting all of the important things and then ultimately getting her back into a natural social environment where she could be reintegrated back into the addax herd,” said Dr. Deidre Fontenot, Veterinary Operations manager at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
An ode to his mom and dad, Julien’s name is a combination of both Juniper and Allen, who are all a part of the larger herd. Julien’s birth is vital for this distinct species of antelope as Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of the only places in the entire world where they can be spotted outside of Africa.
“Here at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge in our family herd we have four females and now two males with the addition of Julien,” said Linsday Cooper, an animal keeper at the lodge. “This is really exciting here for us at the lodge and honestly, for the world. As the addax are a very critically endangered species, there are about less than 100 of them in the wild. So for Julien to be here, a part of our herd, just really gives us a good opportunity to connect with guests.”
The most defining feature of the addax is their large spiral horns which come in many different shapes and sizes. Native to the Sahara Desert, their bright white coat helps reflect the heat. In the winter, addax at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will develop a thicker, darker coat to help them absorb sunlight.
Julien’s birth comes less than three months after a baby elephant named Corra took her first footsteps on the savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom with her mom, Nadirah. The theme park also welcomed the birth of an endangered okapi last October.
“To be a part of an organization where we are welcoming these critically endangered animals and having many successful births just really makes me proud of not only our addax, not only the lodge, but the entire Disney’s Animal Kingdom community as a whole,” Cooper said. “This team of keepers is so passionate about what we do, and I just couldn’t be more happy to be a part of it.”
Once Juniper and Julien are done making their introductions with the herd, they will be ready for their public debut on the savanna, which Disney estimates will be sometime later this month.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: