14 DAY TRIAL // An eight-month-old Kirk's did-dik antelope by the name Aluna has taken it upon herself to raise her younger brother after the latter was abandoned by their mother.
Aluna was herself rejected by her mom shortly after she was born, so she is all too familiar with what Neo is going through.
Keepers say that the siblings have bonded well and that they very much like spending time in each other's company.
Apparently, Neo is by no means the most confident or the calmest dik-dik antelope living at the zoo, but Aluna is quite gifted at keeping him from throwing any tantrums.
“Little Neo is only 20 centimeters [8 inches] tall and a little bit shy, nervous and jumpy around other Dik-diks. But Aluna is dishing out lots of special care and attention and it’s helping him integrate into the wider family group.”
“She’s helping him to settle in nicely and it’s lovely to see,” keeper Claire McPhee said, as cited by Zoo Borns.
Dik-diks are some of the smallest antelopes in the world. They are native to Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia and, at adulthood, they stand merely 40 centimeters (16 inches) tall.