Rare goat at Miller Park Zoo gives birth
Zoo's San
Clemente Island goat has kids
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[March 18, 2014]
BLOOMINGTON — A rare breed of
goat at the Miller Park Zoo is the latest animal to give birth at
the facility. Breeze, one of the zoo's San Clemente goats, recently
gave birth to two kids, females named Dorothy and Jenny.
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The goats are native to San Clemente Island, one of the Channel
Islands off the coast of California. The goats are listed as a
critically endangered heritage breed. The global population of San
Clemente Island Goats is around 600.
Miller Park Zoo is home to six adult San Clemente Island goats.
There are four females
—
Bella, Valencia, Becca and Breeze — and two
males, Poseidon and Vern. Each of the adults is 1 to 4 years old.
The captive birth of this rare goat breed is the fourth
consecutive year kids were born at the zoo. The Miller Park Zoo was
the first ever to have a San Clemente Island goat born in the state
of Illinois.
Only a small number of zoos exhibit San Clemente Island goats.
This breed of goat is relatively small, but larger than dwarf
breeds. They are typically red or tan with black markings.
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The kids born to Breeze are not the only goats to be born
this spring. Valencia is also pregnant and expected to give
birth soon.
The goat kids can be seen on exhibit in the Children's Zoo area.
[Text from
Miller Park Zoo
news release received from
Bloomington Parks & Recreation] |