BALTIMORE, MD – The Maryland Zoo has announced the birth of a female addra gazelle calf, Jinx, to mother, Blanche.
“We’ve been keeping Jinx warm and dry in the barn to bond with her mom. She’ll make forays outdoors as she grows and the weather warms up,” said Erin Grimm, Mammal Curator at the Maryland Zoo.
Addra gazelles (Nanger dama), also known as the dama gazelle and mhorr gazelle, are the largest and tallest gazelle species. The animals are native to Africa’s Sahara desert region where they are critically endangered due to habitat loss and overhunting.
The Zoo’s gazelle herd currently consists of three animals. More information about them is available here.
The birth was the result of a recommendation from the Addra Gazelle Species Survival Plan (SSP) coordinated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). SSPs provide breeding recommendations to maximize genetic diversity, with the goal of ensuring health of the individual animal, as well as the long-term survival of the species population to help save animals from extinction.
During warmer weather, the Addra gazelles can be found in the African Watering Hole habitat near the rhino, ostrich, and zebra.
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