Both the Erzgebirge goats and the West Caucasian ibex - two rare cloven-hoofed species at Chemnitz Zoo - have given birth to young animals in recent weeks.
Offspring of two cloven-hoofed species at Chemnitz Zoo
A total of seven young animals among the Erzgebirge goats and the West Caucasian ibexes
Picture: Saskia Quinger, Tierpark Chemnitz
Ore Mountain goat offspring
A total of five young goat kids were born in the petting enclosure. The goat kids were born on 4 and 7 May and come from three mothers. One particular surprise was the birth of triplets - Erzgebirge goats normally give birth to one or two young. The keepers were therefore very worried at the beginning as to whether all three young would be strong enough. In the meantime, however, the triplets are developing magnificently.
In recent years, many zoological institutions have rethought the way they keep domestic animal species. Today, old and endangered livestock breeds are increasingly being shown, which are considered an important cultural asset. Chemnitz Zoo has specialised in Saxon domestic animal breeds - including the Erzgebirge goat. The characteristic breed has been kept at the zoo since 2018 and has already been successfully bred several times.
The Erzgebirge goat is characterised by its rich brown coat, a black eel line along the back and black "boots" on the legs. The animals can be either horned or hornless - at Chemnitz Zoo, however, all goats are horned.
This robust breed is characterised by high fertility, early maturity, frugal feeding and good resistance to disease. Due to their friendly nature, the animals are ideal for keeping in petting enclosures despite their size.
In addition, the Erzgebirge goats make an important contribution to landscape conservation at the zoo: by browsing, they help to protect individual areas of the park from overgrowth.</p
Picture: Saskia Quinger, Tierpark Chemnitz
Western Caucasian ibex offspring
One young was born to each of the Western Caucasian ibexes on 15 and 17 May. Both mothers are already attentively caring for their offspring. The mating season takes place in the winter months of November and December. After a gestation period of just under six months, a single cub is usually born in May or June. Twin births are rather rare in this species.
The Western Caucasian ibex has the smallest natural range of all wild ibex species. This only covers around 15,000 square kilometres in the western Caucasus and mainly extends over parts of Georgia and Russia. This makes its range smaller than the German state of Saxony.
With a population of only around 5,000 animals, the Western Caucasian ibex is considered critically endangered. Despite international conservation breeding programmes, the species is only kept in a few European zoos. In Germany, it can currently only be seen in five other zoological institutions. Chemnitz Zoo is therefore all the more delighted about the renewed successful participation in the European conservation breeding programme for these rare and impressive horned beasts.
Opening times (April to September)
Chemnitz Zoo: daily 9 am to 7 pm
Oberrabenstein Wildlife Park: daily 9 am to 6 pm
Last admission and ticket office closes one hour before closing time.
www.tierpark-chemnitz.de