Warsaw zoo became a home of a rare breed of antelope known as the mountain bongo. Tiny, but striking in appearance, and remarkably shy. The animal was born just two weeks ago at the facility.

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“This is an antelope, and a little antelope. It now has two tasks, eating and sleeping and unfortunately a lot is dependent on this. We are lucky as this is its third walk (outside), it is exploring and it is still excited about the changing surroundings, new smells, which it is encountering. We can see that it is quite active,” Sylwia Grodkowska, the head of Warsaw Zoo Ungulates Section said.

Mountain bongos are the largest among Africa’s forest antelopes, and are unfortunately critically endangered, with no more than 80 adult animals currently surviving in the wild. They have a rather striking appearance, with long horns and a reddish brown coat with white or yellow stripes.

“These antelope are difficult to breed – not because of how they reproduce, nor in terms of how many of them there are but because of their character. We are actually one of the only zoos in Europe that keep these antelope in an enclosure that is open for visitors and that is because these antelope are extremely timid,” the head of the ungulates section added.

The baby is excited to explore its surroundings. The recent spell of cold weather probably did nothing to alleviate its shyness, but now, thankfully, Warsaw suddenly feels much more like Africa.