The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore has a name for the baby blue duiker born there last month: Poppy.
The little one is a species of African antelope weighing only 7 to 20 pounds. Blue duikers have a habit of ducking into bushes when threatened — hence their name, which is an Afrikaans word meaning “to dive.”
As you can see in the photo, Poppy is a certified lil’ sweetums, and you can see more of her and her mother, Flower, on the zoo’s new webcam. They’ll be living in a private area of the zoo until the calf is ready to join the African aviary habitat in the spring with Flower and her father, Lucky.
“With a tiny baby like this, it’s important for us to keep a close watch on her daily feeding and development,” said Margaret Rose-Innes, assistant general curator. “Poppy is delicate, but she is doing well and growing fast. It’s wonderful to watch her play and interact with her mom.”
If a webcam’s not enough — which is understandable, because Poppy’s a sweet lil’ bowl of puddin’ — you can get a behind-the-scenes look at mother and baby by registering for the zoo’s Africa barn tour.
