On August 8, 2010 the first of 22 Komodo dragons hatched at the L.A. Zoo. Over the course of the next 11 days, 21 additional Komodos hatched.
Lima, the Zoo’s female Komodo dragon, laid 23 eggs back in January so hatching 22 was a huge success!. Fewer than 10 zoos in North America have been able to breed Komodos; this marks the L.A. Zoo’s first success at breeding them.
Photo Credits: Tad Motoyama / L.A. Zoo
Continue reading "L.A. Celebrates the Hatching of 22 Dragons!" »
Three Patgonian Cavy (also known as Mara) pups have been born under the watchful eye of keepers at Shepreth Wildlife Park this month. The triplets have caused quite a stir at the Cambridgeshire wildlife collection, which has never had triplets born in this species before. Normally this species will give birth to singles or twins. The healthy trio can be seen alongside fellow oversized rodents - two resident Capybara brothers.
Meet Smeagol, the Philadelphia Zoo's new baby Aye-aye, named after the less than handsome character from the Lord of the Rings. These strange lemurs are the world's largest nocturnal primate and, despite their Gollum-like looks, they are shy and gentle. Born July 14, to the zoo’s female, named Medusa, it's a healthy 105g baby boy.
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Philadelphia Zoo
ZooBorns' focus is squarely on baby animals at accredited zoos and aquariums. However from time to time we come across stories of orphaned wildlife that found its way to a nature sanctuary or rehabilitation facility. Such is the case with this tiny baby cottontail rabbit that was turned into the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic, Connecticut. Its mother had been killed by a dog but luckily the baby was unharmed. Now in the hands of Wildlife Rescuers of Connecticut, the rabbit will be released back into the wild when it is old enough to fend for itself. Special thanks to Nikki Perkins for sharing her photos.
Little Hesty, the baby Sumatran Orangutan, got off to a rocky start back in June and July as ZooBorns readers might recall. Her mother, Nias, did not nurse her baby properly and Hesty was removed from her mother to be fed by Denver Zoo staff. Fortunately, training efforts with Hesty and Nias on how to nurse properly eventually paid off, and now all is well. Hesty made her public debut this weekend.
Photo credits: Dave Parsons / Denver Zoo
Little Daizy was actually born at Albuquerque's Rio Grande Zoo last year, but these adorable pictures just came to our attention so we thought we'd share them. This was the first baby for Daizy's mom, Rozie. The pregnancy was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan for Asian elephants. Because Rozie has no siblings, she is genetically unique. Her calf adds to the diversity and strength of the North American population of Asian elephants.
Photo Credits: Albuquerque BioPark
Early this month, North Carolina Zoo staff made the tough decision to take their new baby chimp in for hand-rearing after it became clear that the baby's first-time mother could not adequately care for her. The baby is healthy and eating well and weighs 3 lbs. 14 oz. She is cared for by staff 24 hours a day and is carried by them most of the time except for brief periods in an incubator. The goal is to get the infant back into the chimpanzee group as soon as possible. She is shown to the chimpanzee group each day for visual socialization.
Tennessee Aquarium herpetologists have been quite busy recently. Six red-necked pond turtles, Mauremys nigricans, hatched recently from eggs that were laid in the Asian River exhibit about two months ago. The adults are currently on display in that display. The Tennessee Aquarium is currently the only U.S. zoo working with this species, which is considered endangered in the wild in its native China.
Three yellow-blotched map turtles, Graptemys flavimaculata, also hatched recently. This species is classified as Threatened by the Endangered Species Act. Some of the babies from last year are on display in the nursery tanks in Turtle World gallery.
Newly hatched turtle babies like these still have their egg tooth which they use to break out of the eggshell. It's the white, pointed object in the close-up images below the turtle's nostrils.
Photos taken yesterday by Lolls Marshall at the UK's Blackpool Zoo turn up the dial on one of the most coveted ZooBorns in our lineup: the baby Asian Small-clawed Otter. It might come as a surprise but otter pups don't know how to swim at birth, so mom must pay careful attention to each pup, training it for the aquatic life ahead. These little guys have clearly taken their first plunge although their expressions suggest that they have mixed feelings about being wet.
Mom appears excited about the progress..
Photo Credits: Lolls Marshal
Just one month old, six little North African Cheetah cubs made their debut yesterday at the ZSL's Whipsnade Zoo. This is the first time that a UK zoo has welcomed cubs of this rare subspecies. There are only believed to be about 250 North African Cheetahs left in the wild and these cubs were planned as part of the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP). Do not miss the wonderful video at the bottom.
