From Saturday, the two young animals and their mother will live again in the large moose enclosure, as the zoo management announced on Friday. In this facility, they will also be on display for visitors.
After a gestation period of around eight months, the two elk babies were born in mid-May. At the beginning of their lives, they only drink high-fat breast milk – up to three liters a day. From two to three weeks, they also eat their first plant food, such as fresh shoots and aquatic plants.
According to the report, extensive soil remediation contributed to Bern’s breeding success: A few years ago it was discovered that there were parasites in the elk enclosure. The facility is now free of parasites, as Doris Slezak from Bern Zoo explained on Friday when asked.
The Bern Zoo has kept the largest species of deer since the 1940s and is regularly pleased to see offspring. According to Slezak, it’s quite common for elk to give birth to twins.
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