Brookfield Zoo welcomes birth of endangered African antelope calf

The Brookfield Zoo welcomed its newest addition last week.

A 15-pound male addax calf was born Aug. 8 in one of the outdoor habitats on the northwest side of the zoo, the zoo said in a statement.

The addax is the third calf to be born at the zoo in the last 13 months.

This is the first calf for the mother, 4-year-old Ivy, and the fifth for the father, 9-year-old Ishnala. 

Brookfield Zoo

Addax — a critically endangered species — are at risk of becoming extinct, with less than 100 remaining in the wild. They once roamed all over northern Africa but are now only found in Chad, Mauritania and Niger. 

Addax have comparatively heavy bodies and large heads, on top of which they have impressive spiraling horns, the zoo said. In the summer, they have light-colored coats, but in the winter they become darker in color. Addax are marked with white on their legs and bellies, but their foreheads are brown.

They get nearly all the moisture they need from the sap of vegetation and from dew, going almost their entire lives without drinking water, the zoo said. When vegetation is not available, they live off the water stored in their bodies.

The antelope is often hunted for its horns, meat and hide, and their native habitat is often disturbed for oil exploration, Brookfield Zoo said.

Visitors may be able to spot the calf laying down or nursing from its mother.