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Last week, Rotterdam’s Blijdorp Zoo got an Easter treat of its own. Born to 3 time mom Marian, baby Doris is doing well. Weather permitting, she'll be on display to the public in no time!
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Earlier this week we shared the Woodland Park Zoo's announcement of a newborn Humboldt penguin chick. Today the hatchling makes its video debut.
Video credits: Ryan Hawk / Voice credits: Katie NortonLearn more in the press release below or on the Woodland Park Zoo's blog.
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Red fox cubs apparently beget even more red fox cubs! The British Wildlife Centre in Surrey, England educates people about Britain's native wildlife and promotes conservation. These baby red foxes were born in March at the Centre and the pictures were taken April 5th.
An older cub from 2009 tolerates some attention below:
Special thanks to photographer PeterH81
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While ZooBorns typically focuses on zoos and aquariums, we couldn't help but share the work of a few of the UK's wild red fox rehabilitation centers. The first one to catch our eye was the Fox Project, which educates the public about foxes and operates a wildlife hospital that takes in around 600 casualty foxes per year including 250 cubs. In March they took in five tiny fox cubs found squealing within a trash bag. The rescuer originally brought them to the RSPCA having mistaken them for dogs.
Cubs are rehabbed back to the wild when they are around five months old after graduating from a "wilding-up" program. Results are successful in most cases.
The organization also runs a fox deterrence consultancy that assists people who have problems - actual and perceived - with foxes. The Fox Project believes that this is their most important and beneficial program as it offers an alternative to unnecessary destruction of foxes where deterrent methods are possible - which is nearly always.
Photos courtesy of The Fox Project
Another organization that got our attention was Wildlife Aid, which operates a 24 emergency line in the UK to facilitate the rescue of a wide variety of wild animals, including little fox cubs. Their most recent arrival, "Bad Attitude" or "B.A." for short, is shown in the video below.
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The baby white rhinoceros recently born at New Zealand's Hamilton Zoo had a rough start to life but is now making good progress. The male calf was born at the zoo in the early hours of Friday, 12 March to first-time mum Kito (9-years-old) and father Kruger (21-years-old). Born with blood blisters in his eyes, the calf had almost zero vision at birth. His eye problem caused further difficulties when it came to feeding.
Photo Credit: DONNA WALSH/Waikato Times
"In the end staff had to milk Kito in order to bottle-feed (check out the below video!) the calf, as his lack of vision and Kito's inexperience as a mother meant they weren't having any success with suckling," said Hamilton Zoo acting director Samantha Kudeweh.
Photo Credit: Hamilton Zoo
"However since then the calf's eyesight has gradually improved and with support from staff a breakthrough came five days after the birth when the calf found the right spot and began to suckle. We hope the calf's eyesight will continue to improve in the coming weeks."
Photo Credit: Hamilton Zoo
The calf, which is yet to be named, is the fifth baby rhino to be born at the facility and the seventh to ever be born in New Zealand. Last April a female white rhino calf named Kifaru was born at Hamilton Zoo to first-time mum Moesha.
In the early 1900s white rhinos were on the verge of extinction however thanks to the protection of habitat and animals this species has gone from fewer than 100 animals to over 17,000 in the wild, and they are no longer on the endangered species list.
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Germany's Allwetter Zoo in Muenster has a rare treat for visitors. Born March 30th, twin ring-tailed lemurs can be seen nursing and sticking close to mom "Mobi." Ring-tailed lemurs are threatened in their native home of Madagascar by habitat destruction and poaching for bushmeat (who could eat a lemur?!).
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Click the photo to expand it.
A young elephant calf and mom examine a paper mache Easter egg in their habitat at the North Carolina Zoo Saturday. Although the paper eggs, filled with food treats, have become a yearly Easter-time enrichment item for many of the park's animals, Saturday marked the first time that the elephants have received them.
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Meet Ares, a brand new baby Coquerel's sifaka at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo. Like all lemurs, Coquerel's sifaka is native only to the island of Madagascar where they are endangered due to habitat destruction. With the birth of Ares, the total population of Coquerel's sifakas in accredited zoos rises to 51.
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ZooBorns usually eschews domestic breeds but the recent announcement of twin Jacob's four-horned lambs at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Queens Zoo seemed appropriate for spring. Jacob's sheep may be descendants of Norse breeds brought to England by the Vikings during raids over 1,000 years ago.
Watching the video below, ZooBorns co-founders can't help but think it vindicates their moderately crazy 10th grade English teacher and his analysis of Blake's poem The Lamb, "It's exciting to pet the lamb and see him spring about and all that." - Mr. B, 1996
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