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Zoo Miami’s newest baby Slender-Horned Gazelle recently was introduced to the exhibit with its parents.
The calf was born on Aug. 21 but had been in seclusion with its parents to give it time to properly bond and ensure that it has a good healthy start to life.
Mom’s name is “Gladys” and dad’s name is “Pip,” in honor of legendary performers, Gladys Knight and the Pips! In keeping with the theme, the baby, a male, has been named, “Bubba,” after one of the actual “Pips!” At birth, the calf weighed just over 3 pounds.
With less than 2,500 believed to exist in the wild, the endangered Slender-Horned Gazelle is found in isolated pockets of the Sahara in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Algeria. Found in herds of usually less than eight individuals but sometimes numbering close to 20, their greatest threats are hunting and human activity in their range. Their most common natural predators are lions and jackals.
Weighing between 40 and 60 pounds, they selectively feed on a variety of flowers, fruits and young leaves from the plants found in their habitat. Both males and females have slender horns with the male’s growing longer to a length of approximately 15 inches. They are relatively small gazelles with an adult shoulder height of approximately 28 inches.
