ZooBorns

Rare Red Panda Triplets Born at Hamilton Zoo

The Hamilton Zoo in New Zealand recently announced the birth of three rare Red Panda cubs. The cubs, all male, were born on December 20th. They joined their mother Tayla, father Chito, and older brother Ketu at the zoo, doubling the zoo's Red Panda population.

Now, at eight weeks old, the cubs are continuing to grow and thrive off exhibit in their mother's den. "Red panda cubs are slow to develop so the first months are really crucial,'' explained zoo Curator Sam Kudeweh. ''We have been undertaking regular weigh ins with the cubs so that we can keep an eye on their progress - but need to balance this with hands off approach as much as possible so we can leave mum Tayla to look after her cubs," she continued. At the first weighing, when the cubs were 19 days old, they tipped the scales at 225 grams. They have continuined to grow and have now ballooned up to 400 grams, about the weight of a can of beans.

Photo Credit: Hamilton Zoo

 

Red Pandas, despite their name, are more closely related to raccoons, skunks and weasels than Giant Pandas. Native to the Eastern Himalayans and Southwestern China, the Red Panda feeds primarily on bamboo. However, they are omnivorous and will eat insects, birds and eggs to supplement their bamboo diet.

See more videos and learn more after the fold.

Significant Birth: Hamilton Zoo's Southern White Rhino

On March 6 a female Southern White Rhino calf was born at Hamilton Zoo in New Zealand, the sixth to be born at the facility and the seventh to be bred there. The new calf is the second for mother Moesha, age 18, and the fourth for father Kruger, age 23. The "little" one brings the zoo’s current herd population to seven.  

Hamilton Zoo Team Leader of Mammals Samantha Kudeweh, said the birth of the calf is significant for the species as a whole. “Zoo populations have an important role to play in the conservation of species such as rhinos,” she said. “Rhinos bred and housed in zoos, such as this new calf, serve as ambassadors for wild populations and conservation projects, as well as provide genetically sound reserve populations in case of major decline in range states.”

Southern white rhino have been a major success story of wildlife conservation – while their numbers were reduced to less than 100 animals in the early 1900s, conservation efforts have seen the wild population increase to over 20,000 as at the end of 2010. A recent boom in the black market price for rhino horn has been driven by its perceived value as a traditional Asian medicine remedy and has resulted in a dramatic increase in poaching over the past two years.  

Photo Credit:Hamilton Zoo

Look At These Lemur Twins!

These little Ring-Tailed Lemur twins are the newest residents at Hamilton Zoo in New Zealand. The babies were born on October 10 to parents Rachel and Bruce. It is not the first time the couple have welcomed twins after becoming parents to Julian and Josie on August 20, 2010.

Hamilton Zoo Director Stephen Standley said the two new additions are creating quite a stir within the lemur group. “The twins are quite active and vocal, and the other ring-tailed lemurs are very interested in these new arrivals. Rachel is extremely attentive to the twins and make sure she keeps a close eye on what the pair gets up to,” he said.

Lemurs are primates found only on the island of Madagascar in Africa, and some of the small, nearby islands. Lemurs use their hands and feet to move through the trees, but can't grip with their tails as other primates may. Ring-tails also spend time on the ground, which is unusual among lemur species, foraging for fruit, which makes up the bulk of their diet. They supplement that with flowers, leaves, tree bark, and sap. Ring-tailed lemurs are endangered, mostly because the forests they call home are quickly vanishing.

Photo Credit: Hamilton Zoo

Rhino Baby's Rough Start: Born Blind, But Better Now!

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.

What's a Kea?

One of the few alpine parrots in the world, the Kea are known for their extreme curiosity, frequently landing on tourists' backpacks and stealing clothing and shiny things and even pulling rubber parts off of cars. Hunted to near extinction by New Zealand's ranchers, long annoyed by the omnivorous parrots' occasional attacks on their livestock (parrot attack!), the Kea was protected in 1986 and has marginally recovered to a population of a few thousand.

The Hamilton Zoo in New Zealand was lucky enough to welcome two extremely rare Kea chicks just last month.

 

 

A Gentler Side of Hamilton's Rambunctious Rhino

Last week, Zooborns delivered footage of Hamilton Zoo's boisterous rhino baby tossing around both before and after birth. When he's not racing around the enclosure to the amusement of zoo visitors and keepers alike, he exhibits a gentler, softer side.

Keeping close to Mom...

Baby Rhino Kicking in the Womb

Maybe you've felt a baby kicking in the womb, but we can only imagine what it's like to have a baby rhino fussing about in there (check out his feet)! In this short but fascinating video, the Hamilton Zoo in New Zealand shares their new baby white rhino's progress from gestation, through his first steps, and first romps about his enclosure.