Racine Zoo baby bighorn sheep, second born this month
Baby bighorn sheep born on May 20 (Courtesy: Racine Zoo)
RACINE, Wis. - The Racine Zoo has welcomed a new baby to its bighorn sheep family, a week after the zoo announced the arrival of two adults and another baby.
Bighorn sheep in Racine
The backstory:
Two female Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Helga and Mantis, came to the Racine Zoo from a zoo in Minnesota in February. They were held in off-exhibit quarantine until debuting in the newly renovated Mountain exhibit.
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The Racine Zoo did not announce Helga and Mantis' arrival until May, when they also announced that Mantis delivered a baby boy, born on May 12.
What's new:
Helga has since delivered a baby of her own. The Racine Zoo said she gave birth to a girl on Wednesday, May 20.
Racine Zoo welcomes 3 bighorn sheep; residents of 'Mountain' exhibit
The Racine Zoo has announced the arrival of its newest residents, who will occupy the newly renovated Mountain exhibit.
Name the babies!
What you can do:
The zoo has a naming activity on its Facebook page where the public can weigh in on names for both babies – one for Mantis' baby boy, and one for Helga's baby girl.
What are bighorn sheep?
Dig deeper:
Named for the males' spiraled horns, which can weigh up to 30 pounds, the zoo said bighorn sheep are the largest sheep native to North America. Males are larger, weighing up to 315 pounds, while females are typically 150–200 pounds.
Bighorn sheep are native to the alpine grasslands of western North America. The zoo said their numbers have declined due to hunting, habitat loss and disease spread from domesticated animals, though there were an estimated 200,000 in the mid-1800s. Their population is now somewhat stable, the zoo said.
The Source: Racine Zoo released information about the baby bighorn sheep.