Yesterday, the newest addition to Busch Gardens’ Serengeti Plain was born: a female eland calf. Weighing in at 50 pounds, this girl will not stay little for long. Eland are the largest of the antelope species, with adult females weighing around 1,000 lbs.


Even with their bulky stature, eland antelope have a great adaptation: they can jump 8-10 feet straight up in the air from a standing position. Both males and females characteristically have thick, spiral horns, which can reach lengths of 3-4 feet. But to protect the mother, the calf doesn’t have horns at birth; her full set will grow in after about two years.


The Serengeti Plain’s eland herd now numbers 11 antelope, with this calf being the second to be born this season. The other female calf, which was born just over a month ago on July 17, is already twice her size.

Guests can see the eland and all of the other animals on the 65-acre free-roaming Serengeti Plain via the park’s train