ZooBorns

New Born Giraffe Molly has a Close Call

Born just 3 days ago at the Southwick's Zoo in Mendon, MA, Molly, the baby giraffe calf had a rocky start.  Her mother wasn't producing milk and Molly was weak and unable to suckle.  With some quick action on the part of the zoo and some veterinary specialists at Tuft's Grafton School of Veterinary Medicine, it was determined that the baby suffered from dehydration and a low white blood cell count.

They pushed antibiotics through a catheter into her long neck and hand-fed her bottles of goat's milk. Now, 24 hours later, Molly appears to be thriving, hospital staff said.

Molly will stay at the hospital through the weekend, but the zoo is looking forward to her return, and so are we!  Hang in there Molly!

(Tufts University Cummings School Photos)

A video about Molly's progress is below the fold...

A Barrel Full of Tamarins

The Como Zoo in St. Paul, MN, welcomed adorable new baby Emperor Tamarins just a few days ago. Named for its resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II, Emperor Tamarins live in social groups of two to eight led by the oldest female. Mutual grooming plays an important role for bonding and socializing.

Thanks to Jim H. for the pics!

What's Cuter than a Fennec Fox?

Trick question - nothing! This little guy was born at the Everland Zoo in South Korea in September of 2008.  Nocturnal hunters, fennec foxes detect tasty insects and small rodents with their ridiculously oversized ears. 

Red Panda Season

More Red Pandas, this time from Australia's Perth Zoo. Making their first public appearance today, the playful pandas seemed to enjoy the attention. The cubs are happy and healthy and have an attentive mother in Chori, who shuttles her cubs between all three nesting boxes in the exhibit. It's nice to have vacation homes.

 

Above photos courtesy of the Perth Zoo

Above photo credit: Kerris Berrington

Web-footted Webcam Brings Penguins to the People

The Mystic Aquarium (shout out to the first aquarium I ever visited!) is sharing it's penguin chicks, born February 3, via the web. Visitors who can't make it to see the chicks in the "feather", can see their progress until they are fully fledged (which means all grown up!) online.

Roly Poly Red Panda Cubs

Red Pandas are only distantly related to their better known black and white Giant Panda cousins, but they do share the panda name and a love of bamboo. While these little furballs were born back in June of 2008 at the Red River Zoo in North Dakota, they are news to us here at ZooBorns and we figured we should share them. Named Xiao Li (male) and Li Ming (female), more pictures and information are available on the Zoo's Red Panda blog.

3-4 weeks old

Li Ming at 1 week


Xiao Li (meaning Little Beauty) at 1 week


5 days old and squeaking away!
Sleepy red pandas at 4 weeks

A mischievous Li Ming at 2 months

Looking like adults at 4 months

Can't Go Wrong with Baby Meerkats

We've brought you meerkats pups before but these little guys, born one month ago at Australia's Taronga Zoo, take the cake for heart-crushing adorability. "Zanzibar" and "Nairobi" each weigh a little over 3.5 ounces and are being raised on a diet of mealworms. 

Tiny Turtle at the Bristol Zoo

Smaller than a matchbook (see picture below if you don't believe us) and weighing just 15 grams or the same as a few paper clips, this Chinese box turtle was born a few weeks ago at Bristol Zoo Gardens. Endangered due to overhunting for meat and medicinal purposes, Chinese box turtles are quite social and congregate in groups. In captivity they have been known to live up to 50 years.

Hatching in mud can be messy...

Thanks to ZB reader Meredyth for bring this to our attention.

Tawny Frogmouth Chicks

Meet Hoover and Sawyer, the two tawny frogmouth chicks hatched just last month at SeaWorld, Orlando. Often confused with owls, the tawny frogmouth is weaker and, frankly, lazier than most owls and is native to Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. Well camouflaged, tawny frogmouths are so named because of their ridiculously wide beaks, already readily apparent on tiny Hoover and Sawyer.

 

Photo credits:  Jason Collier, SeaWorld Orlando 

More pics below if you click Continue reading.

Double Trouble Leopard Cubs

The French Museum of Natural History unveiled two adorable new arrivals in late January. Wei and Xun are six week old Chinese leopard cub brothers who appear strong and healthy. As seen in these photos and video, Wei is not shy about human attention, but mama Orly has other ideas.  

Thanks to Liz C for bringing these guys to our attention via Jezebel. Photo credits FG GRANDIN / AFP / Getty Images