The last days of july brought BIOPARC Valencia the congratulations of a new life, with the birth of a beautiful baby Thomson's gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii). Diligently, the technical staff launched the non-intrusive surveillance protocol, even installing special cameras to avoid human presence, all with the aim of promoting natural behavior. In the first hours they began to observe with optimism that the mother was taking care of her, however, as time passed they realized that breeding was not consummated, because the little girl did not suckle. Given the signs of weakness of the shoot, it was finally decided to intervene and try the “hand” breastfeeding but they couldn't get him to “get hooked” to the bottle. Thanks to the experience of having acted successfully in similar cases and forcing with the necessary delicacy, "in extremis”, it was possible for him to ingest his first colostrum which, without a doubt, saved his life.
Upon observing that she was not breastfeeding, the animal care team had to intervene and finally managed to get her to accept bottles. The group of Thomson's gazelle BIOPARC is part of the international program for the preservation of this striking and threatened species included in the IUCN Red List.
After the intense first days, still cautious and without letting their guard down, the team in charge of his well-being shows confidence that “it will move forward”. The veterinary examination to verify her health status and sex her has confirmed that It is a female. Every day before the first bottle, weigh yourself to increase and adapt the food with mixtures of fresh and evaporated milk that promote their growth and strengthen their immune system. In addition to the essential pampering, the mother's behavior is imitated stimulating her during feedings so that she does her business, since it is essential that you urinate and defecate normally. To ensure your peace of mind, for the moment kept in indoor facilities adapted to their comfort and, gradually, they will integrate with the rest of the gazelles to continue their development.
BIOPARC Valencia participates in the Thomson international gazelle conservation program with a group made up of one male and five females, to which this hopeful new birth is added. In Europe We can only observe this characteristic African species in seven institutions, two of them in Spain. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) includes the Thomson's gazelle in its Red List of endangered species, so it is essential to continue with controlled reproduction and preservation efforts ex situ to ensure its survival.
Thomson's gazelles inhabit one of the most recognized spaces of BIOPARC Valencia, a multispecies enclosure that recreates the savanna and where they coexist with giraffes, other antelopes such as blesbok, impala and kobos; in addition to birds such as the African jabiru, the sacred ibis and different species of ducks.
