Internationally renowned conservationist and respected northeast charity Chester Zoo recently caught the birth of an extremely rare anoa calf on camera.
The zoo’s hidden equipment discreetly captured the unforgettable event, allowing it to share the birth with its supporters around the world.
Anoa are the smallest species of wild cattle in the world, and only native to Sulawesi, an island off Indonesia. An endangered species, the wild cattle’s numbers are severely decreasing due to human activity like hunting and deforestation. As a result, the rare birth is a major coup for the Zoo in its attempts to help bolster the anoa population.
Recorded figures show that only 2,500 anoa remain living the wild, leading the Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to list them as an endangered species. The classification means that the cattle are facing a high chance of being extinct in the future without intervention from entities like Chester Zoo.
Zookeeper Callum Garner, commented:
“Anoa are incredibly shy and elusive animals and so to be able to witness a calf being born and then see those magical first moments between mum and baby is very special indeed. We’re privileged to be able to share this remarkable footage with the world.”
Chester Zoo’s footage not only featured the birth of the new-born, called “Kasimbar” by keepers but also the young mammal taking her very first steps. Kasimbar has ventured beyond her den and zoo visitors can now see her experiencing the outside world under the watchful eye of her mother Darcy.
Chester Zoo is based in Upton-by-Chester, a short drive beyond the city walls.
