Nashville Zoo Celebrate Birth of Eland Calf

Nashville Zoo have introduced a four week old eland calf to their Africa Field habitat. The male calf has been named Otis and has been spending time bonding with mother, Indigo in an off-display area. The father of the calf is Ochre.

Hoofstock keepers report that the birth of Otis went extremely well and within just an hour of being born he was standing and suckling from Indigo.

This is the third time an eland has been born at Nashville Zoo. The previous calves are  Olive born in spring of 2022 and Murray in the spring of 2021. Their herd now numbers six with equal numbers of males and females.

This week Otis and Indigo made their debut in the zoo’s Africa Field habitat alongside the other eland and species which call the habitat home, including ostrich and zebra.

Nashville Zoo participate in the Eland Species Survival Plan® which helps to ensure genetically diverse populations amongst this species in human care. This program is managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

Eland are native to the grasslands and semi-arid areas in southern Africa. They are herbivores which feed on a range of leaves, shrubs and bushes. Males are mostly solitary while the females will form a small social herd.