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| Common Name: | Kirk's dik dik | Family: | Bovidae |
| Latin Name: | Madoqua kirkii | Diet: | Herbivore |
| Type: | Mammal | Habitat: | Woodlands, Grasslands |
| Native To: | Africa | Social Unit: | Pair |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Least concern |
Kirk’s dik-diks at Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo has four male Kirk’s dik-diks. The oldest was born in April 2004 and the youngest, Sylvester, was born in December 2005. The middle two, Bobo and Cesar, were born in November 2004 and May 2005.
Our Kirk’s dik-diks eat small browser pellets, cabbage, apples, carrots and a seasonal fruit or vegetable such as sweet corn or strawberries treat two or three times a week. Hay is also provided, but very little is eaten. They also browse on the vegetation in the enclosure.
Edinburgh Zoo will most likely hold a bachelor group of Kirk’s dik-diks for the foreseeable future, as we have no current plans for breeding this species.
Where it can be found at Edinburgh Zoo
All of our Kirk’s dik-diks can be found in the African aviary sharing their enclosure with crowned cranes, hammerkops, hornbills and ducks.
Kirk’s dik-diks in the wild
The Kirk’s dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii) is a small antelope that appears mainly in two separate regions of Africa: from southern Somalia to central Tanzania, and in northern Namibia and Angola. They occupy a wide variety of habitats, including dry scrublands, savannah woodlands and thickets, and grasslands.
Kirk’s dik-diks typically weigh up to 7 kg (15 lbs). They have a reddish-brown head, large eyes and ears, and a soft, brown coat that is grizzled with grey, black and white hairs. The eyes are ringed with white hair. Only males have horns, but these might be hidden by a spiky forelock. Both males and females have an elongated, prehensile nose.
Research has shown that Kirk’s dik-diks tend to form monogamous mating pairs. The female bears one offspring after a gestation period of about 5 – 6 months, and can bear up to 2 offspring per year.
In the wild, Kirk’s dik diks eat a diet of leaves, buds, shoots, grasses and fruits. They need little water, but need quantities of salt. They are the prey of many carnivores, including lions and other big cats, hyenas, painted hunting dogs, ratels, and others. Large birds and reptiles will also prey on these small, slender antelopes.
Despite these predations and some disturbance in habitat due to farming expansions, the Kirk’s dik dik numbers remain strong in the wild. Their ability to exist in scrub and over-grazed areas has given them a measure of resilience that prevents their numbers from dropping too severely. For these reasons, the Kirk’s dik dik has been categorised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a species of Least Concern.
Breeding programme category: ESB
IUCN Red List category: Least Concern
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