The Chattanooga Zoo has expanded its animal collection with the addition of two blue duikers to the Makazi ya Twiga exhibit.
The new species is being housed in one of the indoor habitat spaces within the newly built giraffe barn.
The blue duiker is a small antelope species that inhabits a variety of forests and woodlands throughout central, eastern and southern Africa. Blue duikers spend most of their time foraging for fruits and plants.
Duikers get their name from the Dutch word for “diver,” which refers to their tendency to dive into dense underbrush and hide when they feel threatened.
The Chattanooga Zoo acquired the blue duikers – one male and one female – through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan.
The SSP is a population management and conservation program that monitors the placement, breeding and propagation of selected species within AZA-accredited institutions.
The male, Branch, 6, came to Chattanooga from the Kansas City Zoo; the female, Poppy, 1, arrived from the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. The pair arrived about a month ago.
According to the IUCN Red List, hunters and natural predators are threatening blue duikers in the wild.
The Makazi ya Twiga area of the zoo now houses giraffes and blue duikers, with additional African species to be added as more phases of this project are complete.
Source: Chattanooga Zoo