National Zoo welcomes a new baby

By The Post's Lori Aratani in Post Now:

Officials at the National Zoo announced their latest addition: a scimitar-horned oryx born April 9 at their conservation center in Front Royal, Va.

“Because most of the species we work with are critically endangered or extinct in the wild, each offspring born here is a real treasure and a testament to our scientific efforts,” said Steve Monfort, director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. “Each newborn represents hope that their species will survive.”

This is the first time in more than a decade that there has been an oryx birth at the Front Royal campus. Oryx are extinct in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The oryx, a female, weighed 20 pounds at birth.

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