A yellow-backed duiker was born at Frankfurt Zoo at the beginning of September. This means that the small population of this species, which is rarely kept in European zoos, has grown to twelve animals. Frankfurt Zoo plays an important role in the breeding and keeping of yellow-backed duikers, as it coordinates the European breeding programme.

Yellow-backed duikers (Cephalophus silvicultor) are a species of antelope native to the bushveld of West and Central Africa. The animals, which are classified as potentially endangered, are not only rare in their native habitats, they are also a rarity in European zoos. So the joy was all the greater when offspring appeared at Frankfurt Zoo on 7 September. As with the first breeding success of the Frankfurt yellow-backed duiker pair DOLLY and WALTER last year, this time too it is a male cub. "I am very pleased for the zoo team that the breeding of the yellow-backed duiker has worked out again. We still don't know everything there is to know about this species, and at the same time its population is declining in its traditional habitats. By breeding and researching the shy antelopes, we can hopefully make a contribution to the conservation of the species," says Dr Ina Hartwig, Head of the Department of Culture and Science.

The European breeding programme EEP (EAZA Ex-situ Programme) for the yellow-backed duiker was introduced in 2022. Since then, it has been coordinated at Frankfurt Zoo. Through active management, the programme aims to advance research into husbandry and breeding and establish a stable yellow-backed duiker population in European zoos.

Although the keeping of yellow-backed duikers has a long tradition in European zoos, breeding efforts have rarely been successful. "Duikers are very demanding and require a lot of attention and commitment from their keepers. With a dozen animals, we now at least have a small basis for stabilising the population. This is necessary because the species can already survive almost exclusively in protected areas. Outside the protected zones, they fall victim to habitat loss and hunting," says Dr Sabrina Linn, head of the zoo's scientific department and coordinator of the studbook, which has now recorded five successful offspring in the last two years. The zoos' accumulated knowledge about the mainly crepuscular antelopes with their distinctive yellow back markings will be channelled into future conservation and breeding projects in their areas of origin.

Back