Disney World’s baby antelope loves to get the zoomies

The Endangered Addax

The addax is a rare, endangered species of antelope born with curved horns. Less than 100 addaxes remain in the wild and just over 180 live in managed care.

Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort, an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), participates in extinction-saving programs for the addax and other endangered animals. Onsite facilities include Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, and The Seas with Nemo & Friends (a pavilion at Epcot).

In August 2021, a mother addax at Disney World passed away during childbirth. The surviving baby, Juniper, grew up in the care of Disney’s specialists, including animal keeper Lindsay Cooper and veterinarian Dr. Deidre Fontenot.

Mother and Son Antelope

Two months ago, Juniper gave birth to baby Julien. The calf’s name combines the names of his parents, Juniper and Allen.

“One of the great things about connecting with Juniper is seeing her become a mom,” said Dr. Fontenot. “It really hits those heartstrings as a mother of two kids and seeing them grow up. Making that connection to Juniper — seeing her as a baby, but also coming to that place where she is now a mom — is really, really special.”

Zoomies, Eat, Sleep, Repeat

“Julien is a very curious addax … he’s taking after his mother, Juniper,” said Cooper. Julien’s favorite hobbies are “running around a lot, having zoomies” and “trying to figure out what exactly solid food is.” When Julien’s not running or eating, Cooper remarked, “all the other times you’re going to find him taking a nap.”

Juniper and Julien remain in back-of-house areas for now. When the baby antelope is ready to join the herd, guests can see mother and son on Sunset Savannah at Animal Kingdom Lodge.