ZooBorns

The Giraffe Baby Boom Continues!

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay welcomed a new baby female Reticulated Giraffe on Monday, January 27, 2011. At 6 foot, 2 inches tall and weighing approximately 176 pounds, the newborn is the calf of father, Jafari and mother, Cupid. This is Jafari’s second calf, and cupid’s fifth.

 

This new addition brings the park’s reticulated giraffe population to 19. Exactly one month to the day before this most recent birth, another female in the herd, Tesa, gave birth to Jafari’s first calf, which was also female.

Photo credit: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

The new mother and baby are currently in an area out of guest view so they can be closely monitored by zoo staff to ensure the baby is nursing and growing properly. The duo will join the other animals on the Serengeti Plain in about three months.

 

A Reticulated Giraffe’s gestation period is approximately 15 months, and the new baby will nurse for about one year. This birth is part of a successful long-term breeding program at Busch Gardens. The term “reticulated” refers to the Giraffe’s net-like pattern of spots.

 

Busch Gardens’ 65-acre Serengeti Plain is a naturalistic habitat featuring a diverse population of free-roaming African animals including Giraffe, Zebra, White Rhinoceros, Eland Antelope and several other species of hoof stock and birds.

More outstanding photos beneath the fold!

January Baby: New Giraffe for Marwell Wildlife

As of January 31 a new baby giraffe joined the herd at Marwelle Wildlife in the UK! Keepers cannot confirm whether the calf is a boy or a girl but a closer examination will take place in the next few days. This is the first baby for mom Ursula. She went into labor with all the other giraffes around her. Everything went well as the feet made their appearance, which is the typical way giraffes are born. The hooves come out striaght like Superman's arms, and then the long neck and finally the body.The final drop into the hay is not as far because so much of the baby is out and half-way to the floor in the process. 

The other giraffes gathered around while Ursula went through the motions and after the calf was given it's first clean up by Mom, the herd gather round to meet the new arrival. 

The baby, which is a Rothschild’s giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi), is part of a European Breeding Program. Currently the species is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Giraffes face many threats in the wild including habitat loss and poaching for meat and hides. It is thought there may be only a few hundred individuals left in the wild.

Photo Credit: Marwell Wildlife

 

Baby Coati Count Reaches 22 At Melbourne Zoo!

A recently-arrived group of Coatis has settled into Melbourne Zoo so well that they have produced three litters, with a total of 22 kittens. The kittens have been secluded in nest boxes for the first weeks of their lives. Now they are starting to eat solid food, and it’s time for a large-scale session with the Zoo’s Veterinarians, who need to protect the kittens against three potential diseases with the F3 vaccination.

There are four adult females and one male in the group, selected by the international breeding program to create a genetically diverse breeding group. Coatis belong to the larger Raccoon family, which includes 17 species, all native to the Americas.  This species is native to Arizona, Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Ecuador.

Photo credit: Meagan Thomas, Melbourne Zoo

They are very skilled climbers, known for descending trees head first.  Their long tails are used as balancing rods to assist when they’re climbing. Coatis are omnivores, eating insects, fruits, other vegetation, and meat. In the wild, a new mother will typically keep her kittens isolated in her nest for 6 to 10 weeks before rejoining the band.

It's Twin Mara Pups for Twycross Zoo!

Twycross Zoo announced the birth of two healthy baby Maras on January 30. Mom and babies are doing very well. Resembling long-legged rabbits with bodies like small deer, Maras are the fourth largest rodent in the world, after capybaras, beavers, and porcupines. They can grow to be as much as 18 inches (45 cm) tall and weigh up to 24 pounds (11kg) as adults. They are rather fast for their size, able to run at speeds of 18 mph (29 km) because their body is made for it, with long powerful hind legs that end in three digits each bearing a claw that resembles a hoof. Their front legs are shorter in contrast, with four sharp claws that come in handy when they dig burrows for their young. 

There are two species: Patagonian and Chacoan. They are quite common to the plains and scrublands of the Patagonian steppes of Argentina, but live in other areas of South America such as Paraguay.

 

Photo Credits: Twycross Zoo

Rotterdam Zoo's Twin Lion Cubs Almost Ready to Explore the Outdoors

On November 13, twin Asian lion cubs were born at Rotterdam Zoo to mom Shantee and dad Kumar.  The two were still unnamed mid-January, when they had the chance for their first vet visit. It was determined on that check up that one is a female and the other is male.

The cubs are still behind the scenes with their mother but can be seen through two live webcams at the zoo. Occasionally they may be out of sight because they have climbed to the residence next door.  Soon the babies will venture out into their habitat at the Zoo under their mother's and keepers watchful eyes, for a little at a time each day, based on weather conditions. 

Photo Credit: Rotterdam Zoo.  Webcam images made possible by Organiq and Amaziq

Four Maned Wolf Pups For The Smithsonian!

Although 2012 has only just begun, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia (SCBI-FR), already has something to celebrate in the new year: the birth of four Maned Wolf pups Jan. 5. It is the first litter born at SCBI-FR in two years and will play an important role in helping researchers maintain a viable, self-sustaining population under human care.

“Every pup born here helps us understand more about the biology of this incredible species,” said Nucharin Songsasen, an SCBI research biologist. “SCBI has a long history with the Maned Wolf, both in terms of studying the biology and maintaining the genetic diversity of individuals living under human care, as well as in conserving the animals in the wild.”

Photo credit: Lisa Ware, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

The four pups were born to mother, 8-year-old Salina, and father, 4-year-old Nopal, who was born at SCBI-FR. Maned Wolf pups have a 50 percent mortality rate in the first month, so keepers are monitoring them closely. This litter is particularly valuable because Nopal is the 10th most genetically valuable male among the 36 reproductively viable males in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Maned Wolf Species Survival Plan, which matches animals across the country to ensure genetic diversity in the population. Seventy-two maned wolf pups have been born at SCBI-FR since 1975, and the facility currently has 12 wolves, including the pups. The National Zoo has two maned wolves on exhibit at the Cheetah Conservation Station.

Aye-Aye Aye!

Late last year, on November 29, The Duke Lemur Center welcomed, Elphaba, a baby Aye-aye. There have been 28 total Aye-aye births at the Lemur Center starting with the first in 1992. Elphaba weighed in at 586g just five days ago (pictured above at her exam). Little Elphaba is growing like a weed. Below are pictures of Elphaba back in late November at just three days old.

According to the Duke Lemur Center's page about Aye-aye Lemurs:

"Due to its bizarre appearance and unusual feeding habits, the Aye-aye is considered by many to be the strangest primate in the world. It is the world’s largest nocturnal primate. Unusual physical characteristics include incisors that are continually growing (unique among primates), extremely large ears, and a middle finger which is skeletal in appearance, and is used by the animal as a primary sensory organ."

Photo credits: David Haring / Duke Lemur Center

"Since a significant percentage of an aye-aye’s diet consists of insect larvae that dwell inside dead or living trees, the animals have evolved a specialized method for locating the larvae. As they walk along a branch, the animals continuously and rapidly tap it with their middle finger. Cupping their huge ears forward, the aye-aye listens intently to the echoing sounds coming from the tapped tree. When the sound indicates they are above an insect tunnel, the animals begin to tear off enormous chunks of the outer bark with their impressive teeth, until the insect tunnel is revealed. Then the aye-aye inserts its slender and highly flexible third finger into the hole, and when the prey is located, it is hooked with the tip of the finger and removed."

Little Black Calf with Four White Socks

On the Family Farm at Ireland's Dublin Zoo, Bella, a Friesian cow, gave birth to a healthy male calf. The baby was born early on the morning of January 25, and he was nursing within three hours. This is Bella’s second calf. Team leader Eddie O’Brien describes the newborn as being jet black, except for a white star on his forehead, and four white socks. The breed’s characteristic black patches can be replaced with an orangey-tan color found in a minority of the cows; they are called "reds".

A Friesian cow can refer to any of a number of black-and-white spotted dairy cattle - Dutch, Swedish, British and the commonly known American. Friesian breeds are commonly known as Holstein cattle, recognized for good milk production. They are found all over the world, from New Zealand to Canada.

Photo Credit: Dublin Zoo

Update! It's a Girl Otter Pup

Remember the Sea Otter pup from the Seattle Aquarium? You can read all about the birth and see pictures in our ZooBorns article from January 16. At that time, the baby was only two days old, having come into the world on January 14. The mother otter, Aniak, and her baby have stayed so close together that the sex of the baby was unknown.

But recently Aniak's pup got her first vet exam. She was weighed and examined while mom stayed near, happily eating some fish, allowing the vet to determine that the baby is a female. See it all in the video below.

Photo Credit: Seattle Aquarium

Name That Baby Penguin!

Photo credit: Amelia Beamish

Onondoga County Executive Joanne M. Mahoney joined the staff at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo yesterday to announce the earlier-than-usual arrival of the zoo’s Humboldt Penguin Chicks.

"I am pleased to announce that five Penguin chicks have hatched at the zoo this year," said Mahoney. "It’s always exciting when baby chicks are born, and so many in one year is great. We are fortunate to have such a thriving Penguin program and the credit goes to our talented zoo staff."

Two chicks were introduced at a press conference including the first chick of the year, which hatched on January 9 to parents Wylie and Mara as well as the most recent hatchling, which arrived on January 17 to parents Frederico and Poquita. Three other chicks also hatched on January 13 to Mario and Montana, January 14 to Jake and Bianca and January 15 to Phil and Carmen. Over a seven year span, a total of 34 chicks have hatched. 

“It appears our mild winter weather started the breeding season a bit earlier than usual. It’s very exciting to be talking about penguin chicks so early in the year; perhaps it means spring will be arriving soon,” said Ted Fox, Zoo Director. “It’s wonderful that our zoo continues to play an important role in conserving this species. Like the chicks before them, many of this year’s babies will eventually end up at other zoos around the country to continue populating the species.”

Learn about the zoo's naming contest after the jump...