First bighorn ram born at The Living Desert in 22 years
Officials at The Living Desert said a baby bighorn lamb was born at the zoo on Friday. The new baby is a ram (male) and weighed in at 4.2 kilograms at his newborn wellness check.
The zoo hasn’t yet named the newest member of its family.
This is the first bighorn born at the zoo since 1993, officials said Tuesday.
“We are so excited for the birth of this bighorn ram,” said Allen Monroe, President/CEO of The Living Desert. “These sheep are an important part of our desert habitat and it’s wonderful to see endangered animals multiply.”
The sheep’s father is four-year old Dante, who has sired four lambs at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park prior to arriving at The Living Desert last spring. The first-time mother, Nolina, is almost seven years old and was born at The Los Angeles Zoo, according to the release.
Zookeepers said bighorn lambs are born with soft, woolly, light-colored coats and small hornbuds. Within a day, a lamb can walk and climb. A lamb will stay with its mother for the first year of its life.
Bighorn sheep are one of two species of mountain sheep in North America. Bighorn sheep get their name from the large, curved horns on the males, or rams. They are legendary for their ability to climb high, steep, rocky mountain areas.
Officials said at the beginning of the 19th century, there were between 1.5 million to two million bighorn sheep in North America; today there are fewer than 70,000.
The zoo’s new lamb will remain with the herd on exhibit at the mountain in The Living Desert. The zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call (760) 346-5694 or visit livingdesert.org.
