ZooBorns

Can You Say Oncilla?

On January 14th, the Sao Paulo Zoo in Brazil welcomed a new resident, a male baby Oncilla named Poli. (It's pronounced AWN-sill-uh, by the way.) The cub’s mother, Luiza, is one of the last melanistic Oncilla remaining in captivity today. Melanism is a genetic mutation causing dark pigmentation, so rather than being spotted, Luiza’s coat is entirely black. Despite the mother’s mutation, Poli was born with the more common spotted fur pattern. 

Soon after the birth, Luiza rejected her baby, so Poli was bottle-fed by zoo staff. Now with four and a half months old, Poli is already fully weaned, healthy and continues to grow strong. (These photos were taken on March 15th and May 21st). 

Photo Credits: Carlos Nader / Sao Paulo Zoo

See and learn more after the fold!

Baby Boom at the UK's Paignton Zoo

Paignton Zoo Environmental Park has welcomed a crop of early summer babies. Among them is this Capybara, getting a nuzle from mom, who was born on May 15. The Capybara hails from South America and is the largest rodent in the world. To aid them when in water, where they go for tender greens to eat and to beat the heat, they have webbed feet and thick fur -- and their eyes, ears and nose are positioned high on their head which they hold above the surface.

Just five days later, this Brazilian Tapir was born, on May 20. The Tapir uses its short, trunk-like nose to sniff its way through the forest, to pull leaves and shoots towards its mouth and as a snorkel - they love water and are excellent swimmers.

And a Bornean Orangutan baby came into the world on April 11. In the wild, Orangutans are threatened by hunting, the pet trade and the destruction of its rainforest habitat. Their forest home is rapidly being replaced by palm oil plantations due to a massive demand for this product in many of the foods we eat. You can help by looking at labels and switching to products that don't use it. 

Photo Credit: Ray Wiltshire

Wobbly Gerenuk Gets a Push From Mom at the Phoenix Zoo

This spring, the Phoenix Zoo welcomed two new members to its Gerenuk herd. The first calf, a female, was born in April while the second, a male, was born in late May. The calves and their moms are doing well. During the first weeks of their lives, baby Gerenuk spent most of their time hiding amongst the bush while their mothers feed close by. 

Gerenuk are a type of antelope found native to Africa. Their name, which means "giraffe-necked" in the Somali language, refers to their long necks and ability to stand straight up on their hind legs, which allow them to reach tall tree branches while grazing. 

Photo Credit: Pheonix Zoo

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First Arctic Fox Cubs Born at Hellabrunn in Zoo's 102-year History

Ronja, a two-year-old Arctic Fox at Munich's Hellabrunn zoo, gave birth to cubs on April 26 in the privacy of her den, but only now – roughly seven weeks later - are keepers and zoo visitors getting their first glimpse of the babies! Initially five cubs had been counted… but then, keepers spotted a sixth! The individual cubs can be identified by the color of their fur - one has white paws, another a white bib, and one is completely grey. It's still too early yet to know what sex each is. These are the first Arctic Fox cubs to be born in the entire 102 year history of the zoo.

The cubs spend most of their time cuddling up to their mother in their den. Although the little ones still sleep a lot, they are getting more active all the time. About five times a day Mom and Dad (named Yaqui, also two years old), show them the world beyond the den for about 15 minutes at a time. And where they once only nursed, at this age they are almost weaned, as their pointed teeth have grown in and they have begun to eat meat. 

 

Photo Credit: Tierpark Hellabrunn

Read more about these cubs after the fold:

Tiger Twins’ Birth Caught on Camera at Chester Zoo

In remarkable closed-circuit television footage, Chester Zoo’s female Sumatran Tiger Kirana gives birth to the first of two cubs on June 2.  The cub appears about 30 seconds into the video.

Photo Credit:  Chester Zoo

 

Kirana’s mate, six-year-old Fabi, does not participate in the birth at all, and in fact walks away during the event.

The gender of the two healthy cubs is not yet known.  They will spend several weeks behind the scenes with seven-year-old Kirana. 

This is the second litter for Kirana, who also gave birth to sisters Nila and Tila in 2011. Both of those cubs have moved to other European zoos as part of a cooperative breeding program aimed at increasing genetic diversity among these endangered cats. 

Only about 400 Sumatran Tigers remain in the wild on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.  Zoo breeding programs could prove vital to the survival of this species, which is at great risk from habitat loss and poaching.

See more photos below the fold.

Rare Gorilla Twins Surprise Staff at Burgers' Zoo

When zoo keepers entered the Gorilla House at the Netherlands’ Burgers' Zoo on June 13, they were taken by surprise:  N’Gayla, the 20-year-old female Gorilla, had delivered twin babies overnight!

Photo Credit:  Burgers Zoo

Keepers knew that N’Gayla was pregnant, but they were not expecting her to deliver until later in the summer, and they were certainly not expecting twins.  Gorillas normally have just one baby at a time.  Twins in Gorillas are much rarer than in humans. 

Surprised keeper Wilco Limpers explained what he saw that morning.  “At first I did not expect to see twins.  I was watching N’Gayla lick her baby clean, and suddenly she grabbed something from within the straw bedding – another baby Gorilla! I really did not know what I saw.  Gorilla twins are seen only once or twice every ten years in European zoos.”

Baby Gorillas are small and helpless, requiring round-the-clock care from their mothers.  Though N’Gayla has her hands full, she is an experienced mother who has already raised three youngsters successfully.  The twins’ father, 23-year-old Bauwi, will play only a minor role in their care.

See more photos of the twins below the fold.

Sea Lion Pup Welcomed at Seneca Park Zoo

The Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York welcomed a California Sea Lion pup on June 1 to first-time mom Marina.  While the pup’s gender is not yet known, it is the 18th baby born at the zoo this year. 

Photo Credit:  Kelli O'Brien

Four-year-old Marina came to the zoo in 2011 after being stranded on a beach in Los Angeles County, California.  The pup’s father was Puff, who arrived from Sea World Orlando in 2007.  Puff died last fall.

California Sea Lions are native to the Pacific coast of North America, from Alaska to Mexico.  Sea Lion populations are not threatened, but they are protected from hunting and harassment by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.  Sea Lions’ intelligence and trainability have led to their use by the United Sates Navy to detect underwater mines.

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Enadangered Turtles Hatch at Houston Zoo

A few months ago, ZooBorns reported on two endangered Madagascar Big-headed Turtles who laid a total of 33 eggs at the Houston Zoo.  Because the ground was too cold for the eggs to develop, the females were induced to lay the eggs in the safety of the zoo clinic.  On May 18 and 19, three of the eggs hatched!




Photo Credits:  Beth Moorehead/Houston Zoo (1); Tina Carpenter/Houston Zoo (2,3)

Though the remainder of the 33 eggs were infertile, zoo keepers say this result is not unusual in young female turtles who have just reached maturity. 

The hatchlings are currently behind the scenes until they are old enough to be on exhibit.  In the meantime, zoo visitors can see their older siblings, who hatched on September 15, inside the reptile house.

The Big-headed Turtles live in the moat of the zoo's Lemur exhibit.  Zoo keepers have created a sandy spot for the female turtles to dig in and lay their next clutch of eggs.

The hatching of these Turtles is significant because they are one of the world's most endangered Turtle species.  Found only on the island of Madagascar, they are traded illegally for use in traditional Asian medicine.

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Lion Cubs Get Their Pounce On at Monarto Zoo

Monarto Zoo recently announced that it has one male and two female lion cubs, whose sex was confirmed during the cubs’ first vet check on the morning of June 5th. It was the first time Monarto Zoo staff had the opportunity to directly interact with the cubs, which were born on April 24th, to review their physical health, administer their first vaccines and determine their sex. The cubs have spent the majority of their time tucked away inside a den being cared for by their mum Tiombe with zookeepers initially keeping their distance to give the new family complete privacy during the important bonding period.

Acting Team Leader of Carnivores, Claire Geister, said the male and two female cubs have grown leaps and bounds thanks to Tiombe’s excellent care. “We’re thrilled to have three happy, healthy little cubs! All were given a clean bill of health and have the cutest little milk bellies,” Geister said. “The health checks went smoothly with both cubs and mum relaxed through the entire process. All three cubs were given a feline vaccine, the same as your domestic cat receives, a worming tablet, a micro-chip and were weighed, producing an average weight of seven kilograms."

Photo Credits: David Mattner / Monarto Zoo

“This is a really exciting time, we haven’t had such a large litter of cubs since the breeding program began in 2007. To see them prosper is a real coup for the zoo and the preservation of this beautiful species.”

The cubs are growing bigger and livelier by the day and are starting to venture outside the den on a regular basis. “The cubs are spending a lot more time outside of the den exploring their environment and practicing their pouncing moves. While they may not be old enough to get their rough and tumble on, they seem to be having a ball!” Geister said.

“The next adventure for the little ones is to get them properly acquainted with their aunties and the other females in the pride. The re-introductions between mum and the other lionesses have been positive so far, as new mums would naturally return to the pride when their cubs are around six weeks of age.”

Twin Tiger Cubs Thriving Behind the Scenes at Burgers' Zoo

These are the first pictures of two Sumantran Tiger cubs born in early May at Burgers' Zoo in the Netherlands. Though they are about four weeks old, they have been staying with their mother behind the scenes. In the wild, tigers find a secure and quiet hideaway, like a cave, in which to give birth. Knowing this, the Keepers created a nice, dark room boardering the Lion habitat for the arrival of the twins. A closed-circuit camera recorded their birth, nursing activity and interaction with Mom.

As luck would have it, a spider chose to make it's web right in front of the lens, so while Mom stepped out, Keepers took the opportunity to both clear the camera and snap some quick images of the cubs.

Photo Credit: Burger's Zoo

The Sumatran Tiger is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra off the Malaysian Peninsula and  is considered to be a Critically Endangered species. It's estimated that only between 500-600 remain in the wild, and the actual number may be as low as 400, and rapidly dwindling. Most of those now live in five National Parks and two Game Reserves -  though around 100 live in an unprotected area that will most likely be lost to agriculture growth in the near future. Though poaching is illegal, they are still hunted due to a high demand for Tiger products. 

You can see video of the birth, of the little ones testing out padding below, and mom grabbing one of the babies who had wandered below.

Tiger birth:

 

First wobbly steps:

 

Mom picking up straying cub:

See more pictures below the fold: