Virginia Zoo: Okavango Delta, part 4

On the other side of the holding complex are the aforementioned series of habitats for the zoo's Eastern Mountain Bongos.  They share this space with a pair of Stanley Cranes and some Egyptian Geese.

I'll be honest, the Bongo heard at the Virginia Zoo baffles me a little.  The website claims that there currently 6 members of the herd: a bull male named Bob, three mature females named Betty, Juni & Jesi; and two yearling calves, one male, Baxter, and one female, Joy.  On this visit there were four out: Bob, who is easy to identify, and three females (two of whom were adolescent).  The mature female was obviously pregnant.  The younger pair never stood up.  I don't know when a male's coat turns dark.  I suppose it is possible that the two resting Bongo were Joy and Baxter...  During a previous visit, I encountered Bob and no fewer that 6 other adult females.  Clearly, Bob is prolific.  Clearly the zoo has either sent some of their Bongo elsewhere or have an offsite facility to accommodate the overflow.  They have a good relationship with the Metro Richmond Zoo.  That zoo has a couple of herds of Eastern Bongo with numbers close to 20.  It wouldn't surprise me that when animals get to be a certain age, they are transferred to Richmond, a zoo with tremendous amounts of extra space, and large numbers--dozens of species--African of herbivores.  Clearly they go somewhere.  Clearly Bob keeps the newborns coming.

All of this notwithstanding, you have to agree, they are beautiful animals.