Tucson’s Reid Park Zoo Welcomes Pair of Blue Duikers - Signals AZ

Article audio is made possible by CAST11 Prescott Podcast Network. A Talking Glass Media production.

They may be small in size, but two new additions to Reid Park Zoo are big on charm.

A pair of male and female blue duikers (pronounced dye-kers) – a tiny antelope native to the forests of central, western and southern Africa — are the first of their species at the Zoo and have arrived as part of a breeding recommendation from their Species Survival Plan.

Blue Duikers, Reid Park Zoo, City of Tucson, Tucson,

Photo from Reid Park Zoo

"We are excited to have blue duikers at the Zoo and to help tell their story," said Adam Ramsey, Zoo Animal Care Manager. "This species is unlike any other animals currently at Reid Park Zoo and we look forward to guests getting to know these small, spritely antelopes."

Marigold (the larger female) is 10 months old and from the Maryland Zoo, and Viazi (the smaller 2-year-old male) is from the San Antonio Zoo. Ramsey says the pair have been bonding well since arriving and have become quite close.

"The male was a bit shy at first, so the animal care team has been working to slowly help them get adjusted to their new home. To see those adorable little faces and know that they represent important conservation work to help sustain their species is uplifting," he says.

The word duiker means "dive," in the Afrikaans language, which refers to their habit of diving into bushes to evade predators.

Fully grown, duikers reach only about a foot tall and weigh seven to ten pounds. They spend most of their day foraging for fruits and are known to scavenge food dropped from birds and primates they follow. In fact, their diet is so rich in moisture they are one of the few species that can survive without water. While blue duikers are currently not classified as threatened or endangered, their population is affected by overhunting and loss of habitat.

Guests can spot the blue duikers in the habitat that they share with the Zoo's ring-tailed lemurs. While the blue duikers adjust to their new home they will at times be behind-the-scenes and unviewable by guests. The duikers are more likely to be on habitat and visible to guests in the mornings, from 8 to 10:30 a.m.

Catch up with the news and read more stories from the Desert Cities on Signals A Z.com!

Stay up to date on the Prescott Valley Outdoor Summit

Stay up to date on the 2023 Prescott Valley Outdoor Summit:

Sign up to receive text & email updates on central Arizona's annual outdoor event!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post Posted: 05 Jun 2016 12:00 AM PDT With exacting precision, the surgeon inserted the scalpel above the eyeball and cut out a snotty deposit of fatty tissue. The routine eye-lift was nearly complete when suddenly the patient awoke, suffocating, and began to flop about on the table. The audience gasped. Knowing time was of the essence, the surgeon scooped up the patient in his arms, raced across the stage, and dropped her into a tank of water. She revived. Because she was a fish. Yes, fish eye-lifts exist. As do fin jobs and tail tucks. The operating theater was a mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, where a pet expo was under way. As for the patient, she survived, her formerly droopy eyes now bright and perky. A good thing, too, as this was no ordinary goldfish but rather an Asian arowana, the world's most expensive aquarium denizen, rumored to sell for as mu
Read more

NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire

Image
NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire Posted: 11 Mar 2021 02:00 AM PST ALBANY, Ore. , March 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NilocG launches a new website for planted tank enthusiasts to gather and make THRIVE, a plant fertilizer that assures planted tank aquascapes flourish while eliminating the need for multiple products more readily available online. The company also takes it a step further in the industry, making its flagship product easy to dose, super-concentrated, and an all-in-one solution based on an effective EL dosing method with all essential micro and macronutrients. Continue Reading Thrive fertilizer: North America's most trusted aquarium plant fertilizer Colin Grice , CEO, a self-described planted tank lover, re
Read more

Catching Dory: selling aquarium fish supports coastal livelihoods in Indonesia | npj Ocean Sustainability - Nature.com

Image
Abstract The global marine aquarium trade has created new local markets across the planet, including in Indonesia, now the second-largest exporting country of marine aquarium fish in the world. Participating in the global aquarium trade has been touted as a potentially sustainable addition to fisher livelihoods, but scant data exist showing the numbers of fish coming off the reef and how those fish contribute to income. To determine how participants in the trade incorporate aquarium species in their livelihoods, we examine source-level aquarium fish collecting and trading data in the Banggai Archipelago, a region in Central Sulawesi that has become a significant source for popular aquarium, also known as ornamental, fish species. Using a sustainable livelihoods lens, we examine this data to understand how participants in the aquarium trade both contribute to as well as benefit from the trade and consider how their participation relates to emerging Blue Justice principles. From one year
Read more