Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

October 07, 2011 - Jacksonville, Fl -

A healthy male Greater kudu calf was born at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens on October 4, 2011, at approximately 4:00 p.m.  The calf was standing about one hour after birth and began nursing shortly afterwards. This birth is the second for the dam named Dana, who was born at the Jacksonville Zoo on August 20, 2004.  Kenya, the sire, arrived two years ago and was born
July 15, 2002.  The calf weighed 51 pounds at the neonatal exam and, weather permitting, will be on exhibit in the Zoo’s Plains of East Africa beginning the weekend of October 8th and 9th.  Jacksonville Zoo now has five greater kudu, including an adult male, three females and the male calf.

Jacksonville Zoo and Garden Mammal Supervisor Dan Dembiec said, “It will be exciting to see this cute little kudu grow from a lanky 51 pound calf into a handsome 600 to 700 pound spirally-horned beast, right before Jacksonville’s eyes.”

The kudu is a large antelope with fawn coloring and thin, white, sparse vertical stripes.  Greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), may be distinguished from a similar species, Lesser kudu, (Tragelaphus imberbis) by presence of a throat mane.  Males have long, black spiral-shaped horns; however, females do not have horns.  They grow to be approximately four-to-five feet tall and weigh between 495 and 787 pounds.  In the wild, kudu can be found throughout Southern and Eastern Africa as far north as Ethiopia. They are one of the largest antelope species and produce one of the loudest sounds, a gruff bark. 

For more than 96 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has been dedicated to inspiring discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experience in a caring environment.  Since its beginning in 1914, with an animal collection that consisted of only one red deer fawn, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has become one of the top zoos in the nation.  It now features more than 1,800 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 unique plant species. Preservation of sustainable biodiversity is a key mission of the Zoo.  The Zoo is a non-profit organization and an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.  It is open year-round, seven-days-a-week, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is located on Jacksonville’s north side at 370 Zoo Parkway, one-half mile east from I-95.  For more information, go to jacksonvillezoo.org.

PHOTOS ARE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.