Chemnitz Zoo: Three offspring among the mouflons
There is good news at the Oberrabenstein game reserve, which is part of Chemnitz Zoo: Three young mouflons, the only wild sheep in Europe, have been born in the past few weeks.
This period corresponds to the typical breeding season from the end of March to the beginning of May. The sheep is 21 weeks pregnant and usually gives birth to one or two lambs. Accordingly, the rut falls in the months of November and December. The youngest offspring in the game enclosure are all single offspring.
Mouflons are one of the few species of horned animals where only the males have horns. The females are usually hornless or only have short stumps. The males - called rams - are easily recognised by their curved horns, which are known as "snails" due to their curvature. During the mating season, rams often fight with their heads bowed. The resulting loud crashing can be heard over long distances.
Originally, the European mouflon was found exclusively on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. At the beginning of the 20th century, the populations living in Central Europe today were established through reintroductions. Due to the fact that various breeds of domestic sheep also mated with wild mouflons at this time, it is assumed that "pure-blooded" mouflon are now almost non-existent. Some researchers even claim that the mouflon living today are feral domestic sheep. Based on such assumptions, it is also difficult to determine the endangered status of the species or subspecies. However, it is by far the most commonly kept wild sheep in European zoos.
www.tierpark-chemnitz.de
Opening hours in April:
Zoo: 9 am to 7 pm, last admission 6 pm
Game enclosure: 9 am to 6 pm, last admission 5 pm