Brian the Nyala is our special Christmas baby as he was born on Christmas morning. Named after the character in Monty Python’s film The Life of Brian, Brian is the latest addition to the 25 Nyalas here at Marwell Zoo.

Brian is the third baby to mum Ann and will stay at Marwell for the next year or so. He is easily recognisable as he is the smallest Nyala in the herd. He will eventually grow a shaggy dark grey coat with a long fringe covering the underside. He will also grow horns as well as conspicuous orange legs. At the moment Brian is reliant on his mum, Ann, for food but in several months time will start to feed on the usual antelope rations of hay and concentrated feeds, along with branches and leaves so that he can browse naturally.

Nyalas are a type of antelope that can be typically found living in dense bush and forest in Southern Africa and are just one of 13 types of antelope here at Marwell Zoo. We even feature an antelope, the Scimitar-horned Oryx, on our logo which you can see above., Marwell Zoo has played a key role in conservation of this now extinct in the wild species and is at the centre of efforts to re-establish the species into their former range countries.

So why not come down and take a look at Brian, along with the other fascinating antelope species here at Marwell. We expect 2007 to be a fantastic year with many babies making their grand entrances into the World.

 

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