Baby Blackbuck Born At The Utica Zoo

There was a surprise birth at the Utica Zoo (in Utica, NY in the U.S.) recently, when a newly flown in blackbuck antelope gave birth to an adorable baby; zoo officials had no idea she was even pregnant. Black bucks are one of the fastest species on animal in the entire world, and can run at a top speed of over 50 miles per hour (that’s 80 kilometers per hour); they’re a spiral-horned antelope that can be found in the Indian regions of Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. While blackbucks were once a flourishing species, spread out all over India, hunting and over-development have led to their being listed as ‘near threatened’ by conservationists; this makes the new birth all the more important, and even more wonderful. Zoo officials did not specify whether the newborn is a buck or a fawn, but one thing is for sure: it’s cute.