A delicate and rare Addax
calf was born in early February at Australia’s Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Named Yasna, which translates to ‘white rose’
in an African language, this little female calf is the third born at the zoo in
the last 12 months. Yasna is an
important addition to the captive Addax population because fewer than 500 of
these antelope remain in Africa’s Sahara Desert region.
Yasna has spent her first few
weeks of life in hiding, which is exactly what this species would do in the
wild. She is now becoming bolder and
mingling with the zoo's herd.
Photo Credit: Taronga Zoo
Addax are distinguished by
their 30-inch-long (80 cm) spiral horns, which are present on both males and
females. To escape the extreme heat of
the desert, Addax find bits of shade and dig into the sand where they rest until
sundown. These nocturnal antelope feed
on grasses and the leaves of certain shrubs.
Because Addax are
slow-moving, they are easy targets for hunters who prize Addax meat and hides,
which are made into leather goods. With
the state of the wild Addax population so precarious, zoo breeding programs are
vital to preserving the genetic diversity of this rare species.
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