MELBOURNE, Fla. – Animal care staff at Brevard Zoo are celebrating the recent birth of a klipspringer calf that zoo guests will eventually be able to see roaming the facility’s simulated African biome.
According to a writeup on the San Diego Zoo’s website, klipspringers are a small antelope species known for their nimble, springy navigation of rock formations that other species — including their predators — use for shelter and shade.
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This little baby doesn’t have to worry about leaping over lions or curtailing crocodiles of an appetizer, however. A news release from Brevard Zoo describes how, following the calf’s birth on Saturday, the female klipspringer will spend its tentative future with its mother in a behind-the-scenes area while they bond.
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The calf will be introduced to the large yard in the zoo’s Expedition Africa exhibit at some point, but its caretakers reiterate several times in the release that all will be done according to the pair’s pace.
The calf was born to 6-year-old Deborah and 8-year-old Ajabu as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ “Species Survival Plan” breeding program. Though the mating pair have had six offspring together, none other than the bug-eyed baby pictured at the top of this story currently live at Brevard Zoo, caretakers said.
From here, zoologists will monitor Deborah and her calf in order to determine when they can return to the public eye, in what will someday begin with short, supervised visits.
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