Behavior of addax (Addax nasomaculatus) and Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) mothers and calves during the calves’ first day of life

Successful reproduction, which is central to conservation breeding programs, comprises many stages, culminating in production of healthy young. Effective management of these programs relies, among other things, on accurate information on basic behavioral patterns. Yet, especially for species that are active through the night, such data are lacking. This study focused on adult female addax (N = 7) and Arabian oryx (N = 6), two antelope species prioritized by the international zoo community, using video to record behavior of mothers 1 h before and of mothers and calves during the first 24 h following birth. In the hour before giving birth, mothers were restless but all were recumbent during parturition. Most mothers stood and began licking their calves within a few minutes, and most calves stood within the first 2 h. Addax calves began nursing sooner (mean 1 h 42 min) than oryx calves (mean 4 h 45 min). Although the first nursing bout was longer for oryx than addax calves, the mean nursing bout length (addax: 1 min 26 s, oryx: 1 min 3 s) and total duration of nursing for the full 24 h (addax: 38 min 42 s, oryx: 28 min 51 s) did not differ. Both species spent most of the 24 h in proximity (>70 %), concentrated in the first hours after birth, with a trend for less time in proximity across the 24 h. Addax mothers appeared to be more attentive, spending more time licking/grooming their calves, especially in the first hours. Calves of both species spent most of the 24 h lying down (addax: 84.5 %, oryx: 66.7 %). There was a wide range of variation in most parameters within both species, emphasizing individual differences. Further studies will be necessary to investigate possible influences of factors such as parity and sex of calf. Nevertheless, the results of this study should be helpful to animal managers as well as to field biologists in understanding the behavioral dynamics of addax and Arabian oryx maternal care and neonatal calf behavior that occur during the first critical 24 h of an infant’s life.