The latest additions to the Cherry Brook Zoo have traveled to Saint John all the way from Africa.
From afar, the Cherry Brook Zoo’s newest residents look like your average cow, however, up close their hump and horns give them a unique look.
The African cows, called miniature zebus, are one of the few animals that are naturally miniature.
“They weren't breed down to this size, this is the way they're born,” says zoo owner Lynda Collrin
“I didn't even know what zebus were and I've been a zoo keeper for 19 years,” says Collrin. “They're interesting, they move around, we have the full grown female and the little one year old and then we have the baby which is the male.”
Staff at the zoo say they wanted to bring in an animal that would spark interest in the community and the zebus were the perfect fit.
“It's something different to see, it's something more exciting for the zoo,” says zoo keeper Shyanne Polley. “It's exciting for us too, new animals to work with, new animals, ones we haven’t worked with before and I think it's exciting for the public, gives them a reason to come visit the zoo again.”
Like a camel, the zebu’s humps play an important role.
“It's actually a fat hump, so that in their native environment, if there is a water scarcity or a food scarcity that they can draw nutrients from that hump,” says Collrin.
Since moving into the enclosure together, the three zebus are getting along well. The zoo hopes to start breeding them once the young male reaches 18 months.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ashley Blackford
