Check Out The ADORABLE Photos Of ZooTampa’s First Baby of 2025
It’s a healthy girl! ZooTampa was thrilled to announce the birth of the newest addition of the critically endangered Eastern bongo. Born on Friday, January 24 to nine-year-old mother Blitzen,…
It's a healthy girl! ZooTampa was thrilled to announce the birth of the newest addition of the critically endangered Eastern bongo. Born on Friday, January 24 to nine-year-old mother Blitzen, the calf weighed over 22 pounds. Millie received a neonatal exam from the Zoo's animal health team shortly after birth and was found to be healthy and thriving.
Millie joins 4 other Eastern Bongos at ZooTampa: male Marvin (Millie's dad), females Blitzen (Millie's mom), Lottie, and Binti.
Photo courtesy of ZooTampaMillie bonding with her mom, Blitzen
Bongos are the largest species of forest-dwelling antelope and are known for their distinctive appearance, featuring a glossy chestnut or orange coat, large ears, striking vertical white stripes, and long horns that can spiral up to three feet. These colorful animals typically weigh between 525 and 880 pounds. In addition to habitat loss, they were heavily hunted over a century ago and have yet to make a full recovery (about 200 left in the wild). ZooTampa aims to ensure the survival of protected, threatened, and endangered species.
Photo courtesy of ZooTampa“Bongos are critically endangered, so every birth is incredibly special,” said Tiffany Burns, Senior Director of Animal Programs.
Many confuse the Bongo with Okapi, and while they do look very similar and come from similar regions, they have a lot of differences. One easy way to spot a Bongo vs Okapi is the long, heavy spiral horns on the Bongo vs the incredibly long tongue on the Okapi.
Because she's so darn cute, here are a few more photos of ZooTampa's newest addition, Millie.
Photo courtesy of ZooTampa
Photo courtesy of ZooTampa
