Baby bongo at Louisville Zoo is 'spunky and curious'

Here's one new bongo that will be hard to beat.

The Louisville Zoo announced the Aug. 14th birth of a female bongo — an endangered  antelope native to the mountain forests of Africa.

Both the calf and her mother, named Kaya, are doing well, according to a statement released by the zoo.

 “The calf is spunky and curious—very independent; and Kaya is a good mother — very nurturing and attentive,” said the zoo's assistant mammal curator Candy McMahan.

The zoo has not decided what to name the young bongo.

The largest of the forest antelopes, bongos and are noted for their spiraled horns. They are rarely viewed in the wild, where they hide in dense, remote areas.  Their deep chestnut coloring and white stripes provide effective camouflage from predators, according to the zoo.

There are only about 500 bongos in zoos worldwide, according to the zoo's statement. The Louisville birth was planned by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums through its Species Survival Plan — which seeks to improve genetic diversity of such endangered animals.

North American zoos are working on plans to reintroduce bongos in Kenya. More information on the survival plan is available here.

There are now five bongos at the zoo: four females and one male.
A total of 10 bongos have been born births at the zoo over the years.

The new calf will be on exhibit daily.

Zoo animals wildlife endangered species Afrida antelope