Woburn Safari Park – Staff at Woburn Safari Park have welcomed a female Eastern mountain bongo calf, a rare and hopeful arrival for a species with fewer than 100 wild individuals remaining, confined to fragmented pockets in Kenya’s high-altitude montane forests.

The calf arrived at about 8:15 a.m. on 3rd October and is the first female bongo born at Woburn in more than ten years. The birth is part of an endangered species breeding programme aimed at bolstering global conservation efforts.

Her mother, Othaya, is well known to visitors and already has a son, Djembe, who was born at Woburn last year. Othaya was closely monitored overnight because of difficulties during Djembe’s delivery; keepers stepped in with a supplement when the newborn initially struggled to feed, and maternal care has since improved.

Tom Robson said: “This is Othaya’s second calf, and she struggled giving birth to her first, so we checked her frequently throughout the night. Thankfully all was well and we’re happy to see a strong-looking calf. Othaya struggled to feed the new arrival at first, so we provided a supplement, but now mum is doing a great job. We’re all very pleased, as it’s a female calf she will hopefully go on to breed in the future and play a part in the survival of the bongo species.”

The youngster is already bonding with siblings Djembe and Ziggy. Her chestnut coat with white stripes and large ears highlight adaptations that help the species remain concealed and alert in dense, misty forest understorey.

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