COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KDVR) – In the same week that they received nominations for several awards, including Best Zoo on the continent, officials at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo welcomed their newest fluffy resident just in time for Mother’s Day.
On Wednesday at around 3:15 p.m., Lena the Rocky Mountain goat brought her first little calf into the world, making it the first birth of the year for the Colorado Springs-based zoological garden.
According to the animal care team at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the adorable youngling is an 8-pound female who quickly began figuring out the simple act of walking minutes after her birth.
Rocky Mountain calf’s first day
“Rocky Mountain goat kids are famous for being capable right out of the gate,” the lead keeper at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Michelle Salido said. “She’s getting the hang of her lanky legs, and we’ve already seen her climbing up rocks and on her mom.”
Members of the animal care crew monitoring the mother-daughter pair on Wednesday night noticed that the pair was somewhat struggling to get the first feeding underway. This minor cause for concern stemmed from what is known about the nutritional importance of a newborn’s first feeding.
During the first few days after birth, a female Rocky Mountain goat’s first form of breastmilk is called colostrum, a nutrient-dense source of antibodies and antioxidants that expedites the building of a newborn’s immune system, according to the Cleveland Clinic. After roughly two to four days, this turns into traditional breastmilk.
After three hours of unsuccessful attempts to get the calf nursing naturally, the team stepped in to hand-feed the youngling. Once fed, the calf was reunited with her mother to resume the bonding process and has since been seen nursing with Lena by crew members.
“It took Lena a little while to get the hang of nursing, which isn’t unusual for a first-time mom, but since then, we’ve seen her really embrace motherhood,” Salido explained.
Visitors can watch Lena’s baby’s next steps, so long as they remain within eyesight at the Rocky Mountain Goat habitat.
Additionally, you can stay more consistently updated by checking in with their social media accounts, where they post new pictures and videos regularly, and keep an eye out one month from now for the little calf’s name announcement.