Froni, a female mountain bongo, gave birth to her second calf on January 13th. The veterinary check has now proven that the baby is a female and weighs 26 kilos. This is already 108th addition of this critically endangered species in Dvůr Králové. This is quite extraordinary even in the world context. The baby and its mother remain in the stable facilities of the pavilion, which the mountain bongos share with okapis and red forest duikers, and will go out as soon as the weather allows.

After giving birth, the bongos find a safe place for their young and only keep coming back for nursing. It is therefore necessary for the youngster to get used to the stable as a place to return to before exploring the rest of the enclosure. This way, there is no risk of it 'forgetting' later on to come back to the warm stable.

The mountain bongo is by far the largest forest antelope. Well built males weigh up to 300 kilograms. The species is very demanding and shy. SAFARI PARK has been breeding mountain bongos since 1974 - back than the first animals arrived directly from Kenya as part of Josef Vagner's transports. It was a very special event as at that time bongos were absolutely exceptional in Zoos. In 1975, the first mountain bongo was born in Dvůr Králové, which was also the first mountain bongos born in the country.

The mountain bongo is critically endangered, with only around 90 animals remaining in the wild. It is therefore one of the rarest mammals. SAFARI PARK is one of the world's most important breeders with 108 babies to its credit. In recent years, it has also worked extensively toprotect mountain bongos directly in Africa by joining forces with the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, which is planning to release bongos raised in captivity into the wild on the slopes of Mount Kenya in the near future.