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ASHEBORO The North Carolina Zoo’s summer baby boom has continued with the arrival of three newborn kudus in the past week.
Two of the baby kudus – a species of antelope native to the African savanna – are now on exhibit, zoo spokesman Tom Gillespie said. The third kudu calf is undergoing medical treatment before also moving to the 37-acre African Plains exhibit, which hosts nine different species, including rhinos.
The births come after Juma, a female baby giraffe, arrived less than three weeks ago. She is not yet on exhibit.
Another kudu and two fringe-eared oryx calves also were born in the past two months.
“People are always interested in young animals,” Gillespie said. “We get a lot of reaction from social media from people about how much they like them.”
The zoo’s kudu population now totals 15, Gillespie noted.
The animals, which have a gestation period of eight months, tend to be fairly common at zoos in the United States, he added. They are not threatened in their native habitat.
