New arrivals for the Eland herd

Keepers at Taronga Western Plains Zoo are delighted by the arrival of four Eland calves over the past month. The calves have been born to a mixture of first time and experienced mothers which are all showing great nurturing skills.Each mother has hidden her calf for the first week of life, just as Eland mothers do in the wild to protect their offspring from predators. Now that the calves are a little older, they are out of hiding and can be seen on exhibit most days, hanging out together in a crèche.Whilst keepers are delighted with the first four newborns for the herd this autumn, they are expecting a couple more calves to be born in months ahead.Did you know? Eland are the largest African antelope and while they are considered to be quite slow, can jump up to three metres from a standing start.