Chattanooga Zoo announces birth of a Blue Deuiker

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – The Chattanooga Zoo has a new baby.

“Poppy” gave birth on Tuesday morning.

She is a Blue Deuiker, or a tiny Antelope species from Africa.

Adult Blue Deuikers only weigh between 10-20 pounds.

So their babies weigh just one pound at birth and are about the size of a can of soup.

Zoo keepers still haven’t had a chance yet to weigh the baby or determine its sex yet.

The zoo has been trying to breed their Blue Duiker couple to help the species survive by broadening their genetic diversity.

“It’s always an incredible thing to see the birth of a new Zoo resident. To know that
the cute face you see represents conservation work being done is both moving and
motivating. ” – Lacey Hickle, General Curator