ZooBorns

Eat, Sleep, Play, Repeat - The Life of a Baby Otter

A few weeks ago we brought you the story of the orphan sea otter, Kit, who had found a new home at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and a new companion in the 9 year old surrogate otter mom "Mae." Today we check back in on what appears to be a very contented otter pair!

Feisty Dingo Puppies Make Their Debut

Four months old and full of energy, male dingo pup Mattie and female pup Naya come to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo in Indiana straight from the Dingo Discovery Centre in Victoria, Australia. While they may look like domestic dogs, dingoes started branching off as a subspecies 4,000-5,000 years ago. Unlike domestic dogs, dingoes howl instead of bark and can only breed once a year. In the photos below, Mattie and Naya explore their new exhibit for the first time and reportedly "enjoyed it immensely!"

More pics and info below the fold!

Meet Little Wingu!

Dutch photographer A.J. Haverkamp has amazed us again with these beautiful pictures of baby chimpanzee Wingu and mother Willie at the Amersfoort Zoo in the Netherlands. At six months old, little Wingu is still just a tyke!

Video courtesy of Jip H.

Steady Progress for Taronga's Miracle Elephant Calf

Taronga Zoo’s newborn male Asian Elephant calf continued to make progress overnight. His dedicated keepers, who monitored the newborn throughout the night, were delighted that the calf has begun to suckle from his mother, Porntip, unassisted and moving around without help. This is an encouraging sign after he survived a protracted labour before being delivered alive against the odds yesterday morning at 3.27 am. Both he and his mother are well and will be staying in the warm barn today.

Photo Credits: Bobby-Jo Vial / Taronga Zoo

More pics below the jump

Sydney's Miracle Elephant Calf Survives!

Despite overwhelming evidence that her first calf had not survived a protracted labour, Taronga’s Asian Elephant Porntip delivered a male calf alive at 3.27 am today. The Zoo’s Director, Cameron Kerr, said: “Her dedicated keepers reported the amazing news early this morning that the calf had been born and was showing signs of life to Taronga’s veterinary team who immediately rushed to the elephant barn to assist Porntip and the calf.”

 

 

Photo Credits: Bobby-Jo Vial / Taronga Zoo

Mama Meerkat Snuggles with Her Pup

It seems to be a popular time of year for zoo moms and their babies to do some snuggling out in the open air. Today we bring you a mother meerkat and her young pup at the San Diego Zoo thanks to Flickr photographer mliu92. Perhaps they are emerging to enjoy spring weather (is it never not spring in San Diego)?

When mama meerkat is away... the pups will play...

Vicuña Fawn Tolerates Mom

Relatives of llamas and alpacas, the vicuña is the national animal of its native Peru. Vicuña fur is extremely soft and warm and in ancient Incan culture only royalty were allowed to wear it. 

Flickr photographer George Griffiths captured these beautiful shots of a proud mother Vicuña inspecting her new fawn at the UK's Chester Zoo on Feb. 25th. 

 
 

Endangered Gorilla Born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney's Animal Kingdom has a new arrival!  The newborn female Western Lowland Gorilla is doing well and has already become an integral part of the gorilla family group that includes first-time mother, Kashata, father Gino and two other females. The infant has been named Lilly — in honor of the late Alecia Lilly, Ph.D., who was senior scientist and vice president of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.

 

Photo credits: Gene Duncan / Wild Animal Kingdom

Giraffe Calf Waits for Winter's Worst to 'Get Borned'

The snowstorm on February 13 may have caused Riverbanks Zoo to close, but the snow did not keep the Zoo’s newest addition away. When Zoo keepers entered the giraffe barn that morning, they were greeted by a lanky little boy who had not been there the night before.

 

 

Gorilla Tickles: Bawang and Hasani at the SF Zoo

In May of 2009 we brought you the story of a baby gorilla named Hasani who had been abandoned by his mom but was adopted by a surrogate mother, Bawang, at the San Francisco Zoo. Today we check back in on mother and baby to find that they are doing very very well. In the first pictures, mother Bawang is tickling little Hasani.

 Photo credits: Marianne Hale

This last picture is actually Hasani with Aunti Nneka but you get the idea.