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It's a boy! Virginia Zoo welcomes baby bongo, Baxter

Baxter, Blarney, Bugs, or Buster. The Virginia Zoo wants to know what it should name its newborn antelope.
Credit: Virginia Zoo
Betty, a bongo, gave birth to her sixth calf at Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, Va. on March 23, 2018.

NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) -- For the second time in less than three months, staff members at the Virginia Zoo welcomed a baby bongo.

Mom Betty gave birth to him on March 23. He weighed 50 pounds and is the sixth calf for Betty. He is the second for his father, Bob. Besides his parents, there are two adult female bongos and a calf named Joy at the zoo. Joy was born on Christmas Eve 2017.

Zookeepers and the public voted to name the newest bongo, Baxter.

About Bongos:

Bongos are large-bodied, relatively short-legged antelopes with long spiraling horns that make one complete twist from base to tip. In general, bongos inhabit lowland forest for most of their range; the subspecies in Kenya lives in montane forests at (6,560-9,840 feet) altitude. They have a rich chestnut coat that is striped with thin white vertical lines along the sides. The face and legs have patches of black and white, with white chevrons on the breast and below the eyes. Herds are comprised of females and calves, while males are typically more solitary. Females give birth to one calf per year and the gestation period is nine months. Weaning of the calf occurs at about six months.

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