There’s a lot of love at Werribee Open Range Zoo for a precious new arrival – a little antelope with a special heart-shaped nose who leaves a trail of hearts wherever she goes.
Nziza [pronounced: N-zee-zah], a one-year-old waterbuck who arrived at the zoo last month, is making a distinct mark on the zoo’s savannah by imprinting heart-shaped prints on the ground with her dainty hooves.
Werribee Open Range Zoo Savannah keeper Sophie Gray said Nziza is quickly becoming a darling of the savannah.
“Nziza has a cute little black nose that looks exactly like a love heart, which really stands out because it is surrounded by a contrasting white ring around it,” Ms Gray said.
“She also has cloven hooves, meaning each hoof is split into two toes. The two toes are round at the front with an adjoining point at the back, which leaves a heart-shaped print behind as she explores the savannah.”
Ms Gray said Nziza’s trail of hearts are more visible in the winter months on the soft wet ground.
“Now is the perfect time to try and find them – but the trick is to try and find Nziza first,” Ms Gray said.
“Waterbuck are quite elusive but it’s really rewarding when you get to see them up close and how fluffy their ears are. At the moment, she stays close to the other waterbuck herd. Some of her favourite places are in the middle of the savannah eating lots of grass or hanging out in an area called the ‘keyhole’, which is behind a large group of trees.”
Nziza arrived from Monarto Safari Park in South Australia and is thriving in her surroundings at Werribee Open Range Zoo.
“Nziza is really beautiful, she’s super confident and bold and she’s really keeping the keepers on our toes,” Ms Gray said.
“She’s noticeably smaller than the other waterbuck and getting along with the other animals on our savannah including herds of rhinoceros, giraffe, zebra, ostrich and other antelope species.”
Common waterbuck are native to the forests, savannah, shrubland and grasslands of southern and eastern Africa. They inhabit areas alongside rivers, lakes and valleys and there are up to 80,000 residing in the wild.
Most species tend to have one superpower that supports their survival, but waterbuck have two. Not only do they possess speed like most antelope, they also have the unique advantage of being able to secrete an unpleasant oily smell from their skin to avoid predators.
Visitors have the opportunity to see Nziza and her trail of hearts on a savannah bus tour that runs throughout the day and are included with entry.
