CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Zoo has welcomed a new zoo baby!
The zoo announced Friday that Stevie, an eastern bongo, gave birth to a baby boy Tuesday. The zoo originally announced Stevie's pregnancy in April.
In the birth announcement on Facebook, the zoo said "eastern bongos are critically endangered, so every birth is important to the survival of the species." Critically endangered means that there's more eastern bongos alive in habitats than there are in the wild.
The zoo named the bongo Beaudan after the calf's father, Beau, who died earlier in 2023.
Stevie gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Tuesday evening! The keepers have decided to name him Beaudan as a tribute to his dad, Beau. Mom and baby are doing great. They are bonding behind the scenes but may make some short visits outside as early as this weekend. pic.twitter.com/HVg5iocuhr
— Cincinnati Zoo (@CincinnatiZoo) June 23, 2023
Both Stevie and Beaudan are "doing great," the zoo said. THey are currently bonding behind the scenes, but they may make some short visits outside to the Rhino Reserve as early as this weekend.
Prior to this baby, Stevie gave birth to another bongo calf in 2019, as well as one in 2014.
Eastern bongos are known for their reddish coat and white stripes, and both sexes of the bongo have spiraled horns used for defense. They also have a typical lifespan around nine years.
This zoo baby's birth also comesalmost a month after Lightning the sloth gave birth to her baby. The birth of Lightning's pup, Juno, came after the 10-year-old sloth gave birth to a stillborn pup in 2021.
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