ZooBorns

First Glimpse of Atlanta's New Gorilla Infant

The great ape whose name has become synonymous with motherhood has a new outlet for her considerable parenting skills. Kuchi, a 25-year-old western lowland gorilla, gave birth to an infant overnight Saturday at Zoo Atlanta. The newborn is the third offspring for Kuchi and 20-year-old silverback Taz, who is also the father of fraternal twins Kali and Kazi, 4.

Photo Credits: Courtesy of Zoo Atlanta

Precious Sand Kittens at Al Ain Wildlife Park

Two sand cat kittens were born at the Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort in the United Arab Emirates. The kittens’ birth was a result of an assistive reproductive technique called in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. This marks the first time the procedure was successful in Sand cats. The research project is on-going and includes captive sand cat populations in the United States and Europe and is conducted in collaboration with the University of Illinois and the Cincinnati Zoo.

Four-day-old Quail Chick at Twycross Zoo

This tiny chick photographed moments ago at Twycross Zoo represents a recent clutch of quail chicks being raised with the aid of a heat lamp. The Zoo's quail hen has mysteriously ignored her first clutch of eggs, leaving the bird keeper no choice but to incubate it artificially. When they are a month old the chicks will be put in an apex in the aviary. The tiny chicks will be  monitored until they are big enough to look after themselves.

Polar Wolf Mother Spotted Nuzzling with Pups

Yesterday, zoo visitor Ulli J. snapped these pictures of a mother Arctic Wolf, also known as a Polar Wolf tending to her young. The Monde Sauvage Safari Park in Belgium is home to these North American natives. In the wild, Polar Wolf mothers leave the pack when they are pregnant to seek safe refuge for their cubs. It is not uncommon for her siblings to help care for these young while she finds food outside the den.

Photo Credits: Ulli J.

Pudu Fawn's Adorability Rivals that of Bambi Himself

A tiny Pudu female was born over the weekend at the Woodland Park Zoo and vets, keepers and members of the press  got together today for the neonatal exam of the baby. It was a quick exam that went well, and then baby rejoined her mother back on exhibit near the flamingos in the Temperate Forest area of the zoo. You can see them out on exhibit now, though you’ll have to look closely as these small babies are often well concealed by their mothers to protect them from predation. For more information visit the WPZ's blog.

Photos by Ryan Hawk and Hannah Letinich/Woodland Park Zoo.

Baby Otter Swim Lessons

Surprising fact: baby otters actually need to be taught how to swim! Not so surprising fact: the process is obscenely adorable! In March we brought you incredible pictures of the Columbus Zoo's newest baby otter kits. Now we bring you wonderful video of mama otter teaching those same pups how to swim and some great additional photos. 

Photo and video credits: Grahm S. Jones

Read the otterly adorable details below the fold, courtesy of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

Golden Snub Nosed Monkey Baby

Endangered in their native home in Central China, these beautiful monkeys spend almost their entire life in the trees. The golden snub nosed monkey's vegetarian diet of lichens, flowers, seeds, bark and fruit, seems to complement their thoughtful expressions. Unfortunately, this colorful species is endangered due to deforestation. Specifically, their favorite tasty lichens typically grow on dead trees and these are the ones that are often harvested for firewood and other uses. These pictures were captured by the inimitable In Cherl Kim at the Everland Zoo in Korea.

Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary Compilation Video

We've covered the great work done by the folks at the Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica before but this new video of baby and adult sloths at their facility takes the cake.

Meet the sloths from Amphibian Avenger on Vimeo.

We think the Sanctuary's Mission statement sums their work up best: To consolidate our Sanctuary as an agency that promotes and implements the protection and rehabilitation of sloths in Costa Rica, through the observation, study, care and analysis of animals in recovery; to promote actions that raise people's awareness and to facilitate education in order to improve the welfare and quality of life of Costa Rica's two species of sloth.

Thanks to reader Olivia Ross for the tip.

Takin About A Chinese Treasure

A rare Sichuan takin calf, born May 8, 2010, is now on exhibit at the Minnesota Zoo. The male calf has been off exhibit since his birth to make sure he was healthy and bonding with mom. He is now on exhibit on the Northern Trail with his mother, father, and another takin.

Bouncing Baby 'Baylor''s Happiness Has no Bounds

After a pregnancy lasting almost 23 months, Shanti, a 19-year-old Asian elephant, delivered a healthy 348-pound male calf on the morning of May 4th at the Houston Zoo’s McNair Asian Elephant Habitat. The calf has been named Baylor by the Zoo’s elephant care team in recognition of the unprecedented and ongoing advances made by Baylor College of Medicine’s research team to significantly reduce the threat of a potentially lethal elephant herpes virus.

Photos and video credits: The Houston Zoo