MIAMI – A critically endangered Addra gazelle was born Wednesday on its exhibit habitat at Zoo Miami. It became the 79th Addra gazelle born in the zoo’s history, Zoo Miami Communications Director Ron Magill confirmed in a press release.
According to Magill, a neonatal exam was conducted Wednesday morning on the newborn that included determining the gender, collecting blood, getting a weight, cleaning the umbilicus and doing an overall physical exam, including the eyes and mouth. In addition, it was implanted with a microchip to facilitate future identification.
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The exam was led by Zoo Miami Associate Veterinarian, Dr. Gaby Flacke, a Zoo Miami spokesperson confirmed.
Magill said the female calf weighed just under 10 pounds and appeared to be in general good health.
According to Zoo Miami, the Addra gazelle has been observed successfully nursing and is being well cared for by her mother who was born at the St. Louis Zoo and is just under eight years old. It is the mother’s fourth calf. The first-time father is just over eight years old and was born at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
Magill said Addra gazelles are the largest of the world’s gazelles and are sometimes referred to as “Dama gazelles.”
The zoo said they are a desert-dwelling species normally found in very small pockets of arid and semi-arid regions of the Sahara. Once common in those areas, their numbers have been drastically reduced due to war, habitat destruction, overhunting, and human and livestock population expansion.
See more pictures of Zoo Miami’s newest addition below.