Swapsies
Mixed emotions!
It was a day tinged with sadness a few weeks ago as we said goodbye to our wonderful Roan Antelope, but the good news is that he has gone to our friends at Chester Zoo where he will become a breeding male with a full hareem of females so we think he will be rather pleased!
We will be sharing his story in his new home across our blog and social media pages so be sure to keep your eyes peeled.
It wasn’t just a day of goodbyes however, because Chester Zoo brought to us a very handsome male Sitatunga – don’t worry, the photo is a mock up – he wasn’t on the back seat of the car!
This male was ‘surplus’ at Chester Zoo; this means that he needed to find a new home and here at Watatunga we can provide space, a natural habitat and an opportunity for magnificent animals like this to live out a happy life.
Surplus animals can cause problems in zoos due to space limitations as well as causing friction between dominant males as well as exacerbating issues such as inbreeding and limiting gene pools.
It hasn’t taken long for the new arrival to find his feet and settle into his new home. These majestic creatures are found in the swamps and marshes of Central and Western Africa, but like so many animals are under threat due to human encroachment and the loss of their preferred habitats.
In the wild they are semi-social, found singly or in female only groups or sub-adult males groups, feeding on leaves,, buds, shoots, reeds and grasses. As adults, males will actively avoid each other. They are active at all times, but often moving to the marshes under cover of darkness, possibly to avoid their predators of Lion, Leopard and Python.
Whilst slightly slow and clumsy on land, their splayed hooves work well in boggy conditions and when swimming.
Did you know that Sitatunga are Ed’s favourite animal on earth, and our name of Watatunga is a mash up of our village, Watlington, and the name Sitatunga?
