Successful assisted rearing and reintegration of a blue wildebeest calf into a managed herd prior to weaning.

The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus; Burchell, 1823) is an African ungulate that is notoriously difficult to hand‐rear and reintegrate into managed herds. The following case report is of a female wildebeest neonate that was orphaned, bottle‐reared, and successfully reintroduced into a herd at a zoological facility. Since blue wildebeests are a highly precocial and herd‐oriented species that calve synchronously in the wild as a reproductive strategy to maximize survival, early release of assist‐reared neonates into managed herds before weaning may be an effective strategy for increasing the chance of acceptance. Wildebeest calves can also be easily trained for bottle‐feedings in the field to facilitate early release. Due to a lack of literature on the assisted rearing and reintegration of wildebeest calves into managed herds, this case report provides useful techniques for the feeding, training, and releasing of bottle‐reared wildebeests that may also be applicable to other assist‐reared herd species at zoological facilities. Research Highlights: Wildebeests are extremely difficult to hand‐rear and reintroduce into herds in captivity.Early release of wildebeest calves before weaning may increase the chance of successful reintegration into a herd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]