ZooBorns

A New Baby Giraffe for Cleveland Metroparks Zoo!

The eldest female Masai giraffe at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has a new calf to raise. Lindi, 26, gave birth on July 11 in the giraffe barn to a male calf named Trevor. Trevor is the first successful offspring for father, Travis, 4, who came to Cleveland in 2008 from the San Diego Zoo.

“Mom and baby are doing relatively well,” said Andi Kornak, the Zoo’s Curator of Carnivores and Large Mammals. “He was standing and moving around in an appropriate amount of time and was nursing within a few hours.” 

Giraffes give birth standing up, so newborns get an abrupt introduction to the world by dropping up to 6 feet to the ground. They are about 6-feet tall when they are born and weigh between 100 to 150 pounds. The calf joins the other giraffes in the African Savanna exhibit, Jada, 4, Grace, almost 3, Shirley, 5, and Jhasmin, 5. Keepers will give mom and baby time to bond and hope they can join the other giraffes in the herd on exhibit shortly in the Zoo’s African Savanna. 

Photo Credit: Jeanne DeBonis/Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Bottle-feeding A Baby Silver Leaf Monkey

A one-week-old Silver Leaf monkey is benefiting from a little human care at the San Diego Zoo. The female named "Thai" was born on July 3 to a first-time mother. Unfortunately Thai's mother was not holding the newborn in a way that allowed her to nurse naturally, so animal care staff intervened and are bottle-feeding the baby several times each day. The small, orange monkey continues to spend time with her family between feedings so that social bonds remain strong.

Photo credits: Zoological Society of San Diego

More pictures beneath the fold...

Little Bear Brothers Make Their Debut

Photo Credit: Jeanne DeBonis

Two orphaned Grizzly Bear cubs made their public debut on June 14, 2011 at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.The little bear brothers traveled to Cleveland from Montana, where they were being cared for in a wildlife rehabilitation facility.

The cubs, estimated to be about 4 months old, came to the Zoo on June 2 weighing about 20 pounds each. Currently they weigh about 40 pounds each. When fully grown, an adult male Grizzly Bear can weigh up to 900 pounds. After a routine stay in quarantine, the grizzly cubs are now ready to begin exploring their Northern Trek exhibit, which has been specially prepped for young bears.

The Zoo wants the public to help determine the cubs’ new names. Visit www.clemetzoo.com and help us “Dub the Cubs” by voting in the online poll. Results will be announced on August 1.

Photo Credit: Jeanne DuBonis/Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

A man looking for shed antlers in the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area near Helena, Montana startled the cubs’ mother. The man shot the mother Grizzly in self-defense and the cubs were taken in by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

Rockhopper Penguin Chick Raised by Both Parents at Cininnati Zoo

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has successfully hatched 11 Rockhopper Penguins over the last three decades. 

First time parents, the father, Wallace & mom Kim are taking good care of their new chick, who hatched on June 16, 2011. Just like it happens in the wild, both Rockhopper Penguin parents help take care of their young there at the Zoo. You can see them in the video below.

Photo Credit: David Jenike, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

 

You can see the Rockhopper Penguin family in the Subantarctic Display in the Wings of the World Exhibit.

Oregon Zoo's Caracal Kittens, Now Five Weeks Old

My how you've grown! Oregon Zoo's three Caracal kittens, first introduced HERE, are now 5 weeks old, and their tufted ears – a distinguishing feature of the small African cats – are fully upright. At birth, the kittens’ ears were flat against their heads. The male and two females continue to do well, as does their mother, Peggy.
 
“The kittens are very healthy and growing quickly,” said senior Africa keeper Asaba Mukobi. “In the past week, the male has put on about half a pound, and his sisters gained almost as much. Peggy is doing a great job of making sure they eat enough.”
 
The kittens are very active and enjoy playing on a series of climbing logs, which keepers recently placed in the behind-the-scenes area where Peggy and the kittens spend their time. The zoo’s Africa keepers are voting on possible names for the kittens.

Photo Credit: Oregon Zoo

 

Dingo Pups Pad Around in Perth

The sound of padded feet is once again being heard at Perth Zoo in Western Australia following the arrival of two Dingo pups. The pups, named Daku and Mirri, are pure-breed Alpine Dingos born on March 13, 2011 at the Australian Dingo Conservation Association in New South Wales. They were then sent to their new home at Perth Zoo.

The pups train daily so staff can keep a close eye on their health and provide medication or physical check-ups without the need for restraint or anaesthesia. To achieve this, the keepers use positive reinforcement-based training known as operant conditioning. The keeper asks the pups to follow a cue, such as sit or lie down, and when they do the behaviour correctly, the keeper praises them and rewards them with a treat.

Of course, it’s not all work and no play. The pups are full of energy and enjoy their play time.

Photo Credit: Perth Zoo

They still have a few months to go on their training before they appear in public areas with their keepers but until then they can be seen in their exhibit at the entrance to the Australian Bushwalk.

 

Bushbaby Babies Born at Science Center

The Greater Bushbaby Science Center has announced the birth of two baby Greater Bushbabies. One female Garnett’s Greater Galago was born on May 26, 2011 and one male Brown Greater Galago was born shortly after, June 2, 2011. They were named Chipo, which means “gift” in Shona, and Jenali, which means “mighty” in Swahili - and mark the first and second greater bushbabies born at the Center this year.

“Both babies and their parents are doing superbly,” reports facility director and primatologist Ann Stanley, who has been on staff with the Center since its opening in September of 2006. “We couldn’t be happier with their progress.”

“Healthy infant greater bushbabies weigh 40 – 50 grams at birth on average and both babies fell within that ideal weight range,” explains Stanley. “Today, at about one month of age, the female and male weigh 178 and 183 grams, respectively. They have already over tripled their birth weights in four weeks, so you can see how quickly these little babies grow.” As adults, the bushbabies can be expected to weigh up to 1 kilogram.

So what exactly is a Bushbaby? “They are not monkeys as many people mistakenly believe; Bushbabies are prosimian primates, so taxonomically they are closely related to monkeys but are considered to be more primitive,” explains Stanley.

Watch As Queens Zoo's Pronghorn Fawns Zip Around

Photo Credit: Julie Larsen Maher

The Queens Zoo saw the arrival of four Pronghorn Antelope fawns. The fawns were born to two different mothers one week apart, and include one set of female twins and a second male-female set, bringing the Zoo’s Pronghorn herd up to a total of eight.

Each fawn has a coat of soft brown fur and enormous dark-brown eyes. Already they can be seen prancing around their exhibits on their signature long legs, which give the species its incredible speed. Pronghorn are one of the world’s fastest land animals, second only to the cheetah. They also rank highly for endurance, second to Arctic caribou for the longest-distance migration in the Western Hemisphere.

Two of the fawns can be seen on the Farm, where visitors can watch zookeepers bottle-feed them a nutrient-rich formula several times a day, as you see in this video.

The two younger fawns remain in the Plains habitat which they share with a herd of bison just as they would in the wild. Those babies spend much of their time running through the large, open space. 

Siamang Gibbon Baby Born at Baton Rouge Zoo

Early in the morning on May 26, 2011 a Siamang Gibbon baby was born at BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo in Louisiana. The baby is currently on exhibit with its mother (born in 1993 at Fresno Zoo) and father (born in 1984 at San Francisco Zoo). Siamangs are monogamous and live with offspring until they reach maturity. This pair has reproduced in the past, and this is their third baby together.

At birth, the baby clings to its mother’s abdomen, getting necessary warmth and support. By age 2 the baby is independent, but still very much a part of the family structure. Siamangs are not possessive about food and often share with mates and offspring. They are fed a variety of fruits and vegetables along with primate chow.

 

Photo Credit: Baton Rouge Zoo

New Arctic Fox Pups Arrive at Aquarium of the Pacific

The Aquarium of the Pacific has welcomed two male six-week-old Arctic Fox pups that are now on view in the Aquarium’s Molina Animal Care Center. The two brothers are part of the Aquarium of the Pacific’s new Arctic & Antarctic: Our Polar Regions in Peril exhibition, which gives the public the opportunity to see polar animals up close while learning about what can be done to protect their habitats.

Photo credits: Aquarium of the Pacific

Arctic fox babies are called either pups or kits. A litter usually has about seven kits but may contain up to fifteen. The Arctic fox is an incredibly resilient animal that can live in temperatures as low as -59° F and as warm as temperatures we experience in Southern California. They are found in the Arctic and alpine tundra regions, from coastal Alaska and Greenland to Scandinavia and Russia.