Addax an important addition to zoo and to the species' existence

Published 9/28/2007 in News : Columns

The birth of a critically endangered antelope calf at the zoo last Saturday has staff and visitors smiling.¬ The newborn, an addax, is native to the Sahara Desert in Africa.¬ The parents of the 17-pound male youngster are a 10-year-old male owned by Lee Richardson Zoo and a female on loan to us from the St. Louis Zoo.¬ The pairing was recommended by the Addax Species Survival Plan committee, which oversees breeding programs for this critically endangered species.¬ The parents both arrived at the zoo late last year, and judging by the nine-month gestation within the 10 months they have been together, hit it off right away.

Addax are well suited to desert life.¬ Their light-colored, white to cream coat is cooler in the harsh desert sun, and broad hooves help support their stocky body on top of the soft sand they must travel over in search of food.

Addax range far in their search for the scarce vegetation that sprouts after rare and meager desert rains.¬ They are able to detect rain from miles away, and travel to areas enjoying recent precipitation to take advantage of new plant growth.¬ Much of their water intake comes from the vegetation they consume, and they can survive for weeks or months without actually drinking water.

Another fascinating adaptation of this animal is their ability to raise their body temperature several degrees during the hottest part of the day. This means they do not need to sweat as much to keep their body considerably cooler than the environment, thus conserving valuable body fluids.

Despite the amazing physical adaptations that addax have to help them survive the extremes of desert life, they are listed as a critically endangered species.¬ Only 50 to 200 are estimated to remain in the wild, and most of these are found in the country of Niger.

The species is threatened by a number of factors, including their unfortunate luck at living in a region of the world that is perpetually at war.¬ They also are the targets of poachers, who kill them for their meat and skin.

Zoos oversee the captive breeding efforts for addax conservation, and also work internationally to raise awareness and protect the critical habitat needed for the survival of this and other species.¬ Plans currently are under way to bolster wild populations by releasing captive-born animals in Tunisia late this winter.¬ Another project is working toward establishing a protected area in Niger where the majority of the remaining addax population lives.

There are currently about 250 addax in North American zoos, and a similar number in European zoos.¬ Addax conservation efforts, both in the wild and captivity, are overseen by the SSP committee, under the direction of the Addax SSP coordinator, a zoo staff member from the Living Desert in Palm Desert, Calif. The reintroduction effort is a collaborative effort between U.S. and European zoos.

The birth of this calf is the first in more than 10 years for our zoo.¬ After breeding the species regularly in the 1980s and early '90s, the SSP decided to suspend breeding recommendations because of holding space and other issues.¬ We once again received a breeding recommendation in 2006 and our new pair arrived in November and December. The calf is on display daily with his parents in the west side of our African Plains exhibit.¬ Be sure to come see him before he grows up.

Visit our award-winning Web site at www.garden-city.org/zoo.

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