Rare Animal at Disney's Animal Kingdom Gives Birth in Time to Celebrate Mother's Day

Meet Julien, the two-month-old addax calf and the latest addition to the Disney herd

An endangered addax calf at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge arrived in time to celebrate Mother's Day with his mom.

On May 10, the Disney Parks Blog announced the birth of Julien, a now-two-month-old addax calf, the first male addax calf born at the Animal Kingdom resort — in what Disney calls "an incredible win for the population of this species."

Two feet tall with "a great head of hair," Julien is named after his parents, mom Juniper and dad Allen. The addax is a rare antelope species native to the Sahara Desert in Africa.

As the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute noted, the critically endangered addax faces threats in the wild, including drought, hunting, and "habitat loss from oil drilling and agricultural expansion."

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The Disney Parks Blog shared that the species has an estimated population of less than 100 in the wild and is currently on the brink of extinction. There are over 180 in addax in managed care across organizations accredited by the Associations of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

Julien and his parents are members of a larger herd at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, one of 21 AZA-accredited institutions that houses addax.

"Julien's birth is an incredible win for the population of this species and for our team of veterinarians and animal keepers who are over the moon to welcome another addax as they are so critical in the wild," the Disney blog shared. "This birth is just one of many examples that testifies to the level of care our animals receive."

Animal keeper Lindsay Cooper and veterinarian Dr. Deidre Fontenot care for Juniper at Walt Disney World with best-in-class care and wellness exams.

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According to Sahara Conservation, the addax used to be "found in great numbers over immense arid areas" before their population crashed due to "the advent of modern weapons and transport, and more recently oil exploration and civil unrest."

"Today, the addax, a nomadic desert-living species, is the most threatened ungulate in the Sahara and quite possibly the world, and is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List," its website noted.

The addax can only be found today in two small populations in the wild, in the Tin Toumma desert of eastern Niger and Chad's Eguey-Bodélé region, per Sahara Conservation.

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