A baby klipspringer has unexpectedly died at Lincoln Park Zoo, officials announced Thursday.
"It is with profound sadness that the zoo reports the unexpected loss of female klipspringer calf, Asha, on June 25," the zoo said in a statement.
A zookeeper found the calf unresponsive in her habitat and rushed her to a veterinary hospital where she was pronounced dead, zoo officials said. What caused her death was not immediately known.
The young dwarf antelope was born on March 30 and was the second offspring of Dash and Triumph as part of a Klipspringer Species Survival Program.
She was taken into around-the-clock care by zoo staffers after her mother didn't offer proper care after birth.
The zoo's president, Kevin Bell, said the baby klipspringer named Asha, meaning "hope" in Swahili, was "thriving" at the zoo.
A necropsy was being performed Thursday, but the results from the test will likely take weeks, officials said.
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"The zoo’s animal care staff is deeply saddened by this unexpected loss, and asks the public to keep the zoo family in their thoughts during this difficult time," Lincoln Park Zoo said in a statement.
