‘Kiazi’ is an Eastern Bongo calf born to first-time mother Djembe at Taronga Zoo on 2 April 2012.
I first saw Kiazi when she was only 3 weeks old and she has grown so much since then. Eastern (or Highlands) Bongos are Critically Endangered with as few as 75 remaining in small groups of 6 to 12 animals in their Kenyan upland range. Eastern Bongos are part of a conservation breeding program which is managed across the Australasian region to function as a safety net for this species against the possibility of going extinct in the wild.
She is so beautiful. Hope they are able to save this species. I like both pics, but I think I like the one of her profile view the best, as you can see all the stripes on her face. Nice montage.
@grannysue@jetpics I was watching her for quite a while - her mum, who was born at Western Plains Zoo about 4 years ago, was relaxing up the back just keeping an eye on her - Melbourne zoo had a birth in April - so hopefully we will never lose this beautiful species