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Zoo Visitors Witness Birth Of Antelope Considered Endangered

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Some visitors at the ZooMiami on Friday got to share a rare experience together, the birth of an antelope considered to be endangered.

Visitors looked on as, right before their eyes, an Arabian Oryx Antelope was born at the zoo.

The Arabian Oryx species is believed to have started the legend of the unicorn as it appears to have only a single horn when it is seen in profile.   

Arabian Oryx Antelope Birth
Visitors looked on as, right before their eyes, an Arabian Oryx Antelope was born at the zoo on April 4, 2015. (Source: ZooMiami/Ron Magill)

They are found in Saudi Arabia and Oman. This species has the ability of living without water for weeks.

The Arabian oryx was declared extinct in the wild in 1972 but captive breeding programs have helped rebuild the wild population back to numbers close to 1,500.

The birth of the antelope comes less than a month after ZooMiami officials welcomed two endangered clouded leopards born on March 9th.

 

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