Creature with ‘giant ears and long legs’ born at Indiana zoo. ‘Look at those ears!!’
A greater kudu named Neva has given birth to her first baby at an Indiana zoo, photos show.
“Since we brought greater kudu to the zoo seven years ago, we’ve been eagerly waiting for this day,” Josh Sisk, executive director of the Potawatomi Zoo, said in a Sept. 12 news release.
The newborn calf — a baby boy — was born Tuesday, Sept. 5, to first-time mother Neva and father Tumaini, according to the zoo in South Bend.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to have this little addition to our herd, and we hope it’s only the beginning,” Sisk said in the release.
The mom and her baby spent their first day together bonding and nursing, the zoo said, before staff checked the calf the next morning.
The zoo said he’s a healthy calf, weighing about 30 pounds.
“He seems to be doing great,” staff posted on Facebook. “We’re just so in love with those giant ears and long legs!”
Lots of other people found him pretty cute, too.
“Oh my goodness!” one person replied. “Look at those ears!! He’s adorable!!”
“SUCH a boopable snoot!” another said.
“His milk mustache is adorable,” someone commented.
“Cuteness Overload!!!!” a Facebook user wrote.
The calf will grow to be a lot larger, as bulls can weigh up to 600 pounds, according to the zoo. Greater kudu are considered one of the largest antelope species.
Bulls grow “easily recognizable, large, twisted horns,” which can be up to six feet long, the zoo said. They also have “distinctive black and white face markings and shaggy neck beards.”
While the species native to Africa are labeled as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the San Francisco Zoo said that “increasing human population, habitat loss and unregulated hunting are their greatest risks.”
South Bend is about 150 miles north of Indianapolis.
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