Zoo staff forced to create cardboard deer for choir's visit

Staff at Chessington World of Adventures created a baby antelope made out of cardboard after a rare oryx failed to give birth in time for a visit from a children's choir. The zoo had invited a children's choir from Uganda to name the newborn animal - but the plan hit a hitch when the expected birth did not happen before the visit.

The 15-strong Destiny Africa Children's Choir from Kampala Children's Centre had been invited to Chessington to mark the arrival of the rare Scimitar Horned Oryx, which was forecast to be born at the weekend. However, with just minutes to go before the choir arrived, staff at the resort were forced to hastily make a cardboard cut-out of a baby oryx as an alternative to the real one.



Prior to their visit the choir had been asked to name what was to be the newest addition to Chessington's new Wanyama Village and Reserve and had settled on calling the calf Mukisa, meaning 'blessing' in Lugandan. Craig Dunkerley, deputy chief explorer of Chessington World of Adventures Resort said: "As we all know, working with animals almost never goes to plan so when the Oryx calf didn't arrive at the weekend we had an inkling that this could be a little embarrassing.

"But the choir seemed to find it more amusing than disappointing, especially when we presented them with the life-sized cardboard cut out of what Mukisa should have looked like." Zola, the expectant mother due to give birth, grazed nonchalantly in front of the choir oblivious to the embarrassment she had caused.