ZooBorns

Dutiful Daughter Cares for New Baby Brother

Zoo Basel was the scene of high drama in late December when Spider Monkey mom, Quilimari, suffered complications during child birth. Too weak to care for her newborn, she was taken into the zoo veterinarians' care but the prospects for her tiny baby were tenuous, as baby monkeys without natural mothers have high mortality rates. 

Luckily for all, the baby's young-adult older sister, Dicha, immediately jumped in, scooping up the baby and, surprisingly, nursing it like her own. How Dicha was able to nurse a baby immediately upon birth, while not pregnant or a recent mother herself, is a mystery. 

When the mother was returned a few days later, the daughter dutifully returned her little brother to her mother's care. Now a month later, all is well. - Heroic older sis looking concerned below - 

Checking in on the Swiss Cheetah Triplets

In September, ZooBorns brought you the debut of Zoo Basel's troublesome cheetah trio. Last month, photographer Tambako the Jaguar followed up on the 5-month-old cubs and produced this series of stunning shots. Cheetahs are unique among cats both for their exceptional speed (up to 75 mph) and inability to climb trees.

Foal Envy

Born October 9th at Zoo Basel in Switzerland, this Plain's Zebra foal was the zoo's first in four years! Perhaps because of the novelty, the other zebras in the exhibit were extremely interested in the new foal and arguably jealous, as they made some attempts to steal the baby from its mother. However, the protective mother zebra stood her ground and the herd has settled into a comfortable and supportive dynamic.

 

 

What's a Kudu?

The Kudu is a forest antelope native to eastern and southern Africa. This baby girl was born September 23rd at Switzerland's Zoo Basel, which seems to have no end of rare babies and outstanding pictures. Little "Giza", pictured below, is actually a Lesser Kudu, the smaller of the two Kudu species. On a side note, species are commonly named "lesser" to indicate a smaller sized species within the same genus. It is not intended as an insult. 

 

 

 

Goma the Gorilla Turns 50!

Tomorrow Switzerland's Zoo Basel celebrates a remarkable birthday. Goma, the first gorilla ever born in a European zoo, turns 50! Unusual for the time, Goma got tremendous press in 1959 during her first year, and today we share some of these classic photos. 

It should be noted that unlike zoo born gorillas today, Goma spent the first years of her life almost entirely with zoo staff. While this made her exceptionally close with humans, it made it difficult for her to enter gorilla society and it took many years for her to find her place with her fellow great apes. Today as a result of gorillas like Goma, zoos go to great lengths to ensure that their animals are comfortable with their own kind.

Cheetah Cubs at Zoo Basel

Three tiny cheetah triplets made their debut at Switzerland’s Zoo Basel this week. Mother cheetahs and their cubs communicate with high-pitched barks that sound more like the chirps of a bird. After a big meal, they will relax together and purr. 

Incidentally, ZooBorns would have run these adorable little guys yesterday but we were participating in Urlesques’ a Day without Cats, a protest against the current kitty-cuteness-overrun state of the web. But now we’re over it.

Special thanks to ZB reader Britta for the English translation below the fold.

Grey Bundles of Fluffy Joy

There's been a baby bird boom at Zoo Basel! These baby flamingos are seen exploring their environment but keep close to Mom and Dad all the same. Young flamingos hatch with grey plumage, but adults range from light pink to bright red due to aqueous bacteria and beta carotene obtained from their food supply. A well-fed, healthy flamingo is more vibrantly colored and thus a more desirable mate.

Peep!

Silkie chickens most likely originated in China where they were bred for their fluffy plumage, as well as their remarkably calm temperment and bright blue meat and bones. While the blue meat is considered unappetizing in Western culture, in Asia it is often considered a delicacy (like eating a Smurf!). This tiny chick entered the world last week at Zoo Basel's children's zoo.

Baby Cape Porcupine aka "Prickly Piggy"

This baby Cape porcupine was born June 6th at Switzerland's Zoo Basel. Unusually long-lived for a rodent, Cape porcupines live up to 20 years. Although the English name is hardly any better, we are always amused by the German translations of animal names, in this case the German word for "baby porcupine" roughly translates to "Prickly Piggy." 

Mom has food. Baby prickly pig is intrigued

Perhaps nuzzling will provide access to delicious carrot

Is there delicious carrot in this porcu's future? Tune in next week to find out.

Miniature Pigs aka "Mini-schwein"

Zoo Basel's children's zoo welcomed eight miniature piglets this week or, as they call them, mini-schwein. While not exactly exotic, the tiny piglets are the size of small puppies and have proven to be an absolute delight for the Swiss children lucky enough to see them.

Pigpile!

Dinner time