The Maryland Zoo Announces Birth of Male Blue Duiker Calf

BALTIMORE, MD – The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is pleased to announce the birth of a male blue duiker (DIKE-er). He was born April 2nd to Flower (female) and Kuruka (male). The Zookeepers looking after the little calf are deciding on its name.

The birth was a result of a breeding recommendation from the Blue Duiker Species Survival Plan (SSP) coordinated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The SSP provides 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.

“The duiker calf is healthy and gaining weight as he bonds with his mother in the barn,” said Erin Cantwell Grimm, Mammal Curator at the Maryland Zoo. “We’ve had good success breeding blue duikers and we’re happy this little one is doing well. He’ll be visible to the public once he gets just a little bigger.”

Blue duikers are small. Adults are about the same size as a housecat. The new calf weighs about 718 grams, which is roughly one and a half pounds.

The calf could run within hours of birth but, as with most duiker calves, won’t roam freely for the first several weeks of life. In the wild, the calves stay hidden in the underbrush and wait for their mothers to come nurse them. They are weaned by 3 months of age and reach full size at about 6 months. Without too much prompting from their parents, calves will leave their home territories between the ages of 1 and 2 years, upon reaching sexual maturity.

Blue duiker (Philantomba monticola) is a species of antelope found in the forests of western, southern and eastern Africa. The duiker gets its name from the Afrikaans word ‘duiker’ which means to dive because the animals will duck away into bushes when danger threatens. As adults, they can weigh seven to 20 pounds. While they are currently not classified as threatened or endangered, their population is affected by over-hunting and loss of habitat.

More information about the Maryland Zoo’s duikers is available on the blue duiker animal page.

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