It’s always a special day at the zoo when a new animal is born, especially when it’s part of an endangered species. Each new reproduction is an important step towards ensuring the future survival of the species.

Now, a zoo is celebrating the birth of an adorable eastern bongo, a critically endangered species. Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan, recently announced that a female eastern bongo was born at the zoo on March 5 to a mother named Uzuri. The newborn calf is the fifth eastern bongo born in the zoo’s history and only the second since 2014.

The eastern bongo is a species of antelope native to sub-Saharan Africa. They are the third largest antelope in the world and are distinguished by their white and yellow stripes and long spiral horns.

This species is classified by the IUCN as critically endangered, threatened in the wild by logging and poaching. There are currently fewer eastern bongos left in the wild than there are in captivity.

Because of its rarity, the zoo said its birth is good news for this vulnerable species. “Bongs are critically endangered, so every birth is special,” Dr. Ronan Eustace, director of animal health at Potter Park Zoo, said in a press release. “The calf appears to be healthy and the mother has successfully nursed calves in the past.”

There are currently about 300 eastern bongos in AZA-accredited zoos in the United States, and Potter Park Zoo says breeding programs like theirs “play an essential role in preventing their extinction ”.

The Oriental Bongo is a unique and beautiful species. Both female and male eastern bongos develop distinct horns, a rarity among antelopes. They also have impressive hearing abilities, the zoo says.

The new arrival will likely be a bittersweet moment for the zoo, which this week saw the loss of one of its oldest Oriental bongos, Bella. In a Facebook post, they said that Bella was 14 and a half years old at the time of her death, much longer than the average lifespan of a bongo in human care.

The newborn calf is currently with its mother in the home and animal care staff say it is healthy and gaining weight. While she’s behind the scenes at the moment, visitors to the zoo will be able to see the newborn in the near future.

They wrote that they hope the exciting news of their birth “will inspire more people to take action to protect and conserve endangered species like the eastern bongo.”

What an adorable newborn Oriental bongo and an inspiring sign of hope for this critically endangered species!

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