ZooBorns

UPDATE! Sacramento Zoo's Playful Tiger Cub is Walking (and Roaring)

The little male Sumatran Tiger cub, born on March 3rd to mother Bahagia at the Sacramento Zoo, is now eight weeks old. ZooBorns has been reporting on the baby's birth and growth, which you can find HERE and HERE. Named CJ, the cub is now a hefty 16 pounds, has almost all of his teeth in and is very playful with mom. He is not eating solid food yet, but has shown interest by investigating Mom's meals.

The latest development is that CJ is walking!  He spends a lot of time following Mom around, exploring the den, and expanding on his his new abilities with little bouts of jumping.

Photo Credit Erik Bowker

You can see how playful CJ is with Mom in the video below. Listen to him practice his baby roar near the beginning!

See more pictures after the fold:

Rare Wolf's Guenon Born at Sacramento Zoo

On January 26th, Sacramento Zoo's female Wolf's Guenon gave birth to her first infant. Currently, there are fewer than 35 of these monkeys, housed at 11 AZA institutions in the United States. Mother Mimi and father Eddie have been very protective of the baby, making it difficult for keepers to determine the weight or even its sex.

 
“Little is known about Wolf’s Guenons because of their small population in zoos. In the wild, the dense forests in which they live make them hard to spot,” said Harrison Edell, Sacramento Zoo General Curator. “This birth is significant to the Sacramento Zoo; with every birth, we learn more about this species’ biology, contributing to our overall knowledge about this species.” 

Wolf’s Guenons are native to central Africa where they inhabit forests and forage for fruits, seeds, and an occasional insect. Forming loose family groups in the wild, these monkeys are even known to spend time with other primate species including Bonobos, colobus monkeys and other guenons. A larger mixed-species group may mean that there are more eyes on the lookout for predators, and many guenons have learned to recognize other monkeys’ alarm calls so that they know how to respond correctly if a neighbor spots a leopard or eagle.

Photo Credit, Mike Owyang, Sacramento Zoo

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UPDATE: Sacramento Zoo’s Sumatran Tiger Cub Growing Strong

The Sumatran Tiger cub born on March 3 at the Sacramento Zoo is meeting important developmental milestones as he grows bigger and stronger each day.  With fewer than 500 Sumatran Tigers in the wild and only 200 in zoos, this little cub represents hope for this critically endangered species.

Photo Credits:  Sacramento Zoo



 

You first met this cub on ZooBorns a few weeks ago.  Born to mom Bahagia, the cub has been named after his dad Castro but he’s already been nicknamed CJ, for Castro Jr.  Castro (the father) was diagnosed with lymphoma, a form of cancer, in early February. 

CJ’s eyes are now open and he is learning to walk, though you’ll see in the video that he prefers to scoot on all four legs.   A veterinary exam on March 22 revealed that CJ weighed nearly eight pounds, had no teeth yet, and was 53 cm from neck to tail. 

Bahagia and CJ spend most of the day inside the nest box, emerging only for short periods each day, which is typical for Tigers in the wild and in zoos.  Zoo keepers expect mom and cub to remain behind the scenes until sometime in May or June.

Sumatran Tigers are critically endangered and found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.  The Sacramento Zoo participates in the Sumatran Tiger Species Survival Plan (SSP), coordinated by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. SSPs are cooperative breeding and conservation programs designed to maintain genetically viable populations of animals in captivity, and to organize zoo and aquarium-based efforts to preserve the species in nature.

See more photos of CJ below the fold.

Take a Peek Inside a Sumatran Tiger's Den!

A three pound (1.38 Kg) male Sumatran Tiger cub was born at 2:55 am, Sunday, March 3rd at Sacramento Zoo. At this early point in the cub's life, the mother Bahagia and baby appear healthy.

Tiger cubs are usually about two pounds (1 Kg) at birth, born with eyes closed and relying entirely on their mother for the first three months.  Mother and cub will live inside the den, away from public view, while the cub gains strength and coordination during the first few months. Both should be on exhibit by late May or early June.

Photo Credits: Sacramento Zoo

“The birth of any Sumatran Tiger is a great contribution to this critically endangered species,” says Mary Healy, Director of Sacremento Zoo. “We are especially excited for this birth because it is the first time we have had a camera in the den, allowing zookeepers and veterinarians to keep a close eye on Bahagia and her cub.” 

Peek inside the mother tiger's den: 
 

Read more after the fold!

Baby Mongoose... Lemur!

Is it a boy or a girl? Only time will tell. All baby Mongoose Lemurs are born looking like females. However, at around 6-8 months, males begin to change color and develop their trademark black masks. These pictures were taken yesterday at Sacramento Zoo, when the little Lemur was just ten days old. 

Infant Mongoose Lemurs cling tightly to mom’s waist (like in the picture below) and are weaned between five and seven months. Mongoose Lemurs tend to live in small groups of three to four consisting of a mature pair and their immature offspring. The Ankarafantsika Reserve is the only protected area in Madagascar for the Mongoose Lemur. It is under heavy pressure due to forest clearance for pasture, charcoal production and croplands.

Photo credit: Sacramento Zoo

Can you spot the baby in the photo above?

Baby Tiger Gets a "Bath"

Checking back in on the Sacramento Zoo's Sumatran tiger cub, we discover that mom has an enormous tongue and uses it to powerful hygienic effect on her tiny cub.

And some footage of the cub exploring...

Tiny Tiger Cub Makes Video Debut

Born March 18th, the Sacramento Zoo's tiniest tiger cub calls out to mom in his video debut. In the second video, keepers weigh the cub to make sure his growth is on track. Sumatran tigers are critically endangered with only an estimated 500 remaining in their home on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

The Zoo participates in the Sumatran tiger Species Survival Plan (SSP), coordinated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, who recommended the breeding of the Sacramento Zoo tigers. SSPs are cooperative breeding and conservation programs designed to maintain genetically viable populations of animals in captivity, and to organize zoo- and aquarium-based efforts to preserve the species in nature.

Rare Sumatran Tiger Cub in Sacramento

This past Thursday, the Sacramento Zoo welcomed a tiny little Sumatran tiger cub born to mother Bahagia. About two pounds at birth, the cub will rely entirely on mom for the first three months of life. This is the second litter for Bahagia (known as Baha) and zoo staff are hopeful the experienced mother will successfully raise this special little cub. 

Photos credits: Sacramento Zoo
 
Sumatran tigers are critically endangered subspecies of tiger native to the islands of Indonesia and Borneo. These tigers split off from Bengal tiger populations between 12,000 and 6,000 years ago. The Sacramento Zoo participates in the Sumatran tiger Species Survival Plan (SSP), designed to maintain genetically viable populations of animals in captivity, and to organize zoo- and aquarium-based efforts to preserve the species in nature. More info available on the Zoo's blog.