Twycross Zoo welcomes first arrival of 2018
Tiny tot is first of its kind to be born at the conservation site
A TRULY tiny tot has joined Twycross Zoo as the first baby creature to be born there this year.
Pogo Junior is a Kirk’s Dik-Dik, a small antelope native to southern Africa, and currently weighs less than 1kg.
The dinky female is the first offspring of mother Spring and father Pogo and the first of its kind to be born at the conservation centre.
The mini antelopes are a fawn colour, providing camouflage in their natural habitat of scrublands, savannah woodlands, thickets and grasslands.
Dik-Diks derive their name from the call they make when startled, and they move in a series of zig-zag leaps while making the call, aiming to confuse predators.
Matyas Liptovszky, Head of Conservation and Research at Twycross Zoo, said: “Junior is doing very well and is responding to her family and surroundings just as we would expect her to in these early days, which is very encouraging. “Not only is she the first baby of this species to be born at Twycross Zoo, she is also very cute, so I fully encourage visitors to come along and catch a glimpse of her.” Mother Spring was born in Hannover Zoo and moved to Twycross in Apil last year, while father Pogo was also born in Hannover and moved to Twycross in August 2012. More than 80 per cent of babies born at the Zoo last year were from species that form part of the European Endangered Species Programmes and European Studbooks breeding programmes. Twycross Zoo is open to the public from 10am to 5pm daily. For more information and to book tickets, visit the Twycross Zoo website or call 0844 474 1777.