Melbourne Zoo Melbourne zoos Baby Bongo

MARK

MARK

Well-Known Member
Really good news of Melbourne zoo breeding their first baby Bongo :)

I guess we will find out soon enough what sex it is?
 
hopefully it hasn't got two heads due to all the inbreeding thats going on with bongos in Australia.
 
Baby antelope due to come out of hiding
The first Eastern Bongo antelope born at Melbourne Zoo is about to come out of hiding.

The calf was born a fortnight ago but has been in seclusion with his mother Binti and they will move into their exhibit on Friday.

Melbourne Zoo senior keeper John Warriner said it was a textbook delivery on November 26, with the calf able to stand within half an hour of his arrival.

"By nature, this is one of the species that we call hiders - during the first few weeks after giving birth, mothers hide their babies, go off to feed, and only return once a day to nurse the calves," Mr Warriner said.

"The babies are instinctively programmed to stay still and quiet in the undergrowth while the mothers are away feeding."

The zoo hailed the birth as a milestone in the regional breeding program for the endangered species, found only in isolated populations in Kenya's montane forests.
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MARK said:
Really good news of Melbourne zoo breeding their first baby Bongo :)

I guess we will find out soon enough what sex it is?
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Good news, did you enjoy being first with the news Mark?:)
 
I visited the zoo on Tuesday but I've been staying with friends who've just moved into their house and don't have the internet yet so couldn't post. The mystery of the small exhibit to the side of the giraffe exhibit has been solved. It has been planted with trees for the bongos so it's shadier than their old exhibit but smaller.

Good news about the baby as well. Hopefully it's just the begining. :)
 
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boof said:
hopefully it hasn't got two heads due to all the inbreeding thats going on with bongos in Australia.
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Are these two aimals related at all or are they from different bloodlines as I seem to think that they are not related?

Good news, he is a male and believe born towards the end of November
 
UrMumzAGoat said:
Are these two aimals related at all or are they from different bloodlines as I seem to think that they are not related?

Good news, he is a male and believe born towards the end of November
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If I have my facts right the father is Ndugu and the mother is Binti. They are uncle and niece,
Parents of Binti - Marraqui (father) and Shani (mother)
parents of Ndugu - Nyeri (father) and Nambala (mother)
Oarents of Shani - Nyeri and Nambala,
Nyeri and Marraquie are the two male founders in the region and Nambala is the female founder, There are only three founders. This calf is a first generation of inbreeding. A once off inbreeding situation like this is not bad. Breeders do it all the time, however continued close inbreeding in future generations *as will have to happen if there are going to be further generations) will cause problems. It also would have been better if the calf was female as there are only two potential breeding females, Shani and Nambala,
 
boof said:
hopefully it hasn't got two heads due to all the inbreeding thats going on with bongos in Australia.
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Ironic when the American population is genteically muxh more viable, Hightlights how the imports laws could hurt a breeding programme!
 
Fascinating to read this thread. In the UK Bongo births nowadays are almost an embarassement-male calves have been put down and there may be a hold on breeding altogether now.
 
Yes I know Pertinax, I only wish our Aussie zoos could take some of the UKs spare bongos, If only!!!!!!!!!
 
Bongo breeding in the current reality of a very small founder base (3 founders) in ZAA zoos is very difficult indeed.

DUBBO 0 1 0 0
MELBOURNE 1 1 0 0
MONARTO 1 0 0 0
SYDNEY 1 2 0 0


What is the long term aim with bongo in Australia?

What sources would you have for import (given Biosecurity restrictions)?

Closest sources: Singapore (0.4), Taipeh (7.10)
 
It was a dhame that the second female brought into the country didn't breed before she died. Also a shame more weren't brought in before the restrictions were placed.
 
MARK said:
Yes I know Pertinax, I only wish our Aussie zoos could take some of the UKs spare bongos, If only!!!!!!!!!
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Its sort of the reverse of the representation of some Australian species in the UK's zoos- rarer marupials(Wombats, Koalas, Devils etc etc) and some Cockatoo species being particularly thin on the ground over here.
 
Jarkari said:
@Kifaru: there are no longer bongo at Dubbo.
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You are right in that ofcourse as it has been commented one of the bongos has died. The ISIS log dates back to early November (and depending on zoo registrar duties ... perhaps even earlier).
 
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