ZooBorns

Hey Man! It's a Baby Caiman!

Early Monday morning, Zoo Zagreb in Croatia hatched a baby Caiman for the first time in its history. The golfball sized egg, along with the eggs of two yet to be hatched siblings, was incubating for nearly four months. This allowed keepers to stabilize and regulate temperatures throughout the eggs' development. Zoo officials have meanwhile prepared a new habitat for the trio. If all goes to plan, the hatchling will move into its new habitat in two week's time. It would be too dangerous for these fragile baby reptiles to move into the same enclosure as mom at this stage. Their separate home will include a swimming pool and a waterfall, and will offer visitors to the zoo an authentic experience of the Caimans' tropical Central and South American home.

Photo credit: Zoo Zagreb

 

Five Alligator Hatchlings Debut at Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure

Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure in Kansas announced the arrival of five baby American Alligators. They hatched on August 13 at St. Augustine Alligator Farm and went on display in the Reptile Building, “These young alligators are incredibly popular”, says Peter Burvenich, Curator at Rolling Hills. “They are quite intriguing to watch – especially when you think about how big they’ll become”.  

The American Alligator is listed as “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Historically, hunting decimated their population; the American alligator was listed as an endangered species by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Subsequent conservation efforts have allowed their numbers to increase and the species was removed from the list in 1987.

Photo credit: Rolling Hills Zoo

As part of the zoo’s mission to provide fun and educational experiences surrounding the preservation of wildlife, the introduction of these popular reptiles makes an excellent addition. Once they are about a year old, they will go to another institution that can accommodate adult alligators, and Rolling Hills will get another group of hatchlings. All five hatchlings are viewable to the public in the reptile building located at the northern end of the zoo.

Read more Alligator facts after the fold:

Rescued Alligator Finds Home at San Francisco Zoo

There is a new face at the San Francisco Zoo and he is indeed one lucky Alligator. Named after one of the jazzy legends of New Orleans, Miles is a young American Alligator that was rescued in the thick grasses of East New Orleans. He now joins the Zoo family and will become an important ambassador in many of the Zoo’s education programs.

Photo credits: San Francisco Zoo

Miles was found on the grounds of a school and was rescued by an individual who was mowing the lawn on a ride-on mower. The individual saw something moving in the grass and stopped to find out what was causing the stir. To his surprise, it was a tiny Alligator. Miles was brought to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, but it was too late for him to be released back into the wild with another group of young Alligators. The San Francisco Zoo had an older alligator that was ready to return to the wild, which allowed the Zoo to provide a home for this rescued gator. This was the perfect scenario for young Miles, and Zoo staff anticipate he’ll be on exhibit sometime next week at the Koret Animal Resource Center.