Kid Territory:Critters: A Big, Gentle Barasingha

Bonnie was born in this large field exhibit at the Wild Animal Park. Barasinghas live in herds–Bonnie’s "herd" includes the other animals in the Petting Kraal.

Although Bonnie is the largest animal in the Park’s Petting Kraal, she is very gentle with our young visitors and is always willing to take a treat!

Bonnie is at home in the Petting Kraal, and seems to enjoy all the attention she gets!

Wild Animal Park name: Bonnie
Species: Barasingha (bar-a-sing-ga) or Swamp Deer
Location: Wild Animal Park's Petting Kraal

Her story

When Bonnie was born at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park in July 1990, keepers noticed that her mom wasn’t treating her the way a mother deer usually treats her fawn. In fact, the mother acted as though Bonnie was an intruder. To keep her safe, keepers took Bonnie away from her mother, and hand raised her at the Wild Animal Park’s Animal Care Center.

Feeding a fawn

The nursery keepers fed Bonnie with a special baby bottle, and she grew bigger and stronger every day. Soon, Bonnie was drinking several quart-sized (liter-sized) bottles of formula each feeding! Eventually, she "graduated" to acacia browse and high fiber herbivore pellets (made with Sudan and Bermuda hay), plus her favorite: gorilla-sized leaf eater biscuits. By this time, Bonnie was very bonded with her human family, and the keepers were quite fond of her. It was decided that good-natured Bonnie would make a great addition to the Park’s Petting Kraal, where guests could interact with her.

Calm Bonnie

Bonnie is the second-oldest animal in the Petting Kraal, and the biggest! She weighs about 330 pounds (150 kilograms) and stands at least 3 feet (1 meter) at the shoulder! You don’t need to be afraid of her, though, because—like other deer—she doesn’t have any upper teeth in the front of her mouth to bite. Keepers say she’s also the calmest animal in the Kraal. When other deer get tired of the often-noisy crowds of young visitors, they head to the "creep" (an enclosed area where people can’t go, but where the animals can get some private time). But Bonnie doesn’t go to the creep—she will just lie down amidst the commotion. Bonnie has such a calming influence on the other animals in the Kraal that when she lies down, she’s often immediately surrounded by Eld’s deer who lie down next to her, apparently feeling better just being in Bonnie’s presence.

Not to say that Bonnie is a perfect angel! Keepers say that all the animals in the Kraal—including Bonnie—try to steal food from the feeders. But Bonnie is so large that when keepers try to move her away from the feeder, they can’t budge her! Bonnie has also been known to knock down a keeper when she tried to "mark" him using scent glands around her eyes. (She must have liked this keeper; usually barasinghas mark possible mates or trees in their territory!)

Barasinghas

Barasinghas are endangered deer from northern India. Their name means "twelve horns" in Hindi. Sometimes called "swamp deer," wild barasinghas are hunted by tigers and people. Some people say that the face of a barasingha looks a bit like a mouse. What do you think?

Where you can see her

Not only can you see Bonnie—and many other animals—at the Petting Kraal in the Park's Nairobi Village; you can pet and feed them, too! Dry grass pellets are available at the feeding stations in the Kraal. Bonnie likes it when people feed her pellet treats. She also loves to have the back of her neck scratched. But remember to be gentle with all of the animals in the Petting Kraal. The best way to make friends there is to walk slowly and quietly, and extend your hand to the animals for a sniff before you try to pet them. And don’t forget to say "hi" to Bonnie—you can’t miss her!