Three Rodrigues flying foxes are being raised at the Oregon Zoo this month, adding to the growing population of a bat species once considered the most imperiled on the planet.

Closer in size to a flying prairie dog — and in appearance to a flying Ewok — this endangered species is native only to Rodrigues, a tiny island in the Indian Ocean about 900 miles east of Madagascar. The bat plays an important ecological role on the island, where few other pollinators or seed dispersers exist.

Keepers say the new pups at the zoo are not only "adorable," but a testament to one of the most inspiring conservation stories in history: living proof of the impact people can have — both positive and negative — on wildlife and species conservation.

The five Asian Small-clawed Otter pups born at Zoo Dortmund on November 5th and 6th are hungrier than ever! Since they aren’t nearly as good at digging for black beetle larvae in the bark mulch as their parents Kon and Malou, they try to steal the larvae that Kon and Malou have found directly from their front paws or from their mouths. This behavior can also be seen in adult small-clawed otters, which, in contrast to other otters, are very sociable animals. They live in family groups that can consist of a pair and the offspring of several litters. Family members often seek intensive physical contact with one another, clean each other and also sleep snuggled together in their living and sleeping den. Even if Kon and Malou leave the odd larva to their offspring, as can be seen in this video, they do not always give in to the begging of the pups and enjoy most of the insects themselves.

The pups are still pretty well off though, because they still feed mainly on their mother's milk, even if they already have a healthy appetite for solids! Adolescent dwarf otters are suckled by their mother for about four to five months.

Video and text: Marcel Stawinoga / @zoolotse

On December 13, Philadelphia Zoo welcomed a new female Francois Langur baby, born to Mei Mei and Chester. Her name is Quý Báu, pronounced "Qwee Bow", meaning “precious,” in Vietnamese. This is the first successful breeding of this species at the Zoo, and the first offspring for parents Mei Mei and Chester.

As a first-time mom, Mei Mei struggled in the beginning, but thanks to advanced planning, input from the Species Survival Plan (SSP) and great response and action from keepers and veterinarians, they were able to get mom and baby back together on day one, and reunited with the group just a few days later.

Ling, Mei Mei’s sister and exhibit mate, is doing a great job, helping mom out, carrying the infant throughout the day and returning to mom to feed, as is expected for this species. Native to Southern China and Northern Vietnam, François langurs are endangered in the wild.  Guests will be able to see this family in Zoo360 when the temperatures are 40-degrees or warmer, similar to the temperature in their native regions.

Sydney, Wednesday 13 January 2021: Babies are here, there and everywhere inside SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium’s nursery where over 100 endangered White’s Seahorses were born just in time for the new year!

A herd of babies each smaller than a grain of rice emerged from their dads’ pouches in the final months of 2020, with a few dozen arriving just two days before the new year rolled around. Their arrival marks a successful start to the second year of the White’s Seahorse Conservation Breeding Program initiated by SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, Fisheries NSW and the University of Technology Sydney.

Aquarium staff say the babies are growing nice and strong while their parents are keeping busy and expected to deliver more babies over the next few months. 

“We have over 100 White’s Seahorse babies and are expecting more!” said Mitchell Brennan, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium Aquarist and Seahorse Expert. “We took learnings from our first year of breeding and made changes to the facility, food source and their husbandry routine to develop a more streamlined and efficient program. We believe this may have contributed to such a positive start to the season.”

On December 28, a tiny new feathered face greeted the staff at Franklin Park Zoo. The hatch of the male kiwi chick was a first for this species at the Zoo.

Since his hatch, the young chick has been strong and thriving. Staff has observed him preening his long brown feathers, and probing his beak into the ground in search of insects, both natural behaviors for kiwis. He is already eating an adult diet consisting of a mixture of vegetables, including corn, carrots and string beans, and meat.

“We are very pleased with the growth of the chick so far. With all newly hatched birds, you want to make sure that the legs are not splayed, or in an abnormal position. He has nice strong legs in a good stance and has become more active with each day,” said Dr. Brianne Phillips, Zoo New England Associate Veterinarian. “As with any new chick, we are continuing to monitor him closely, but so far he is doing well.”

One year ago today Zoo Leipzig’s little elephant bull was born. Mother Rani's son was given the name of Kiran. His weight development in particular caused a lot of concern for a long time. Now Kiran weighs 333 kg and is an integral part of the flock. Leipzig put together scenes from his first year - and Kiran enjoying his birthday box together with his birthday guests.

Happy Birthday!

Would you like to send Kiran a birthday present? You can donate symbolic treats at www.zoo-leipzig.de/spendenaktion

The Toronto Zoo announced last month that Tori, a ten-year-old female endangered Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi), gave birth to a healthy foal in the early morning hours on Tuesday December 1, 2020 weighing 52.1 kilograms… and it’s a boy! This is the fourth foal for mom Tori and the fifth for dad Jake, a thirteen-year-old male. This foal, born as part of the Grevy's Zebra Species Survival Plan (SSP), will help to increase Jake’s underrepresented genetics within the population. Both mom and foal are doing well.

“We are so pleased to welcome this healthy and energetic foal to your Toronto Zoo and be contributing to the population of this endangered species,” says Dolf DeJong, CEO, Toronto Zoo. “With only 3000 individuals remaining in the wild, this is a great example of the critical work done by our world class wildlife care team at the Toronto Zoo to protect this species,” he added.

The Grevy’s zebra has been listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for decades. Habitat loss, competition with livestock, and poaching are their primary threats. The Toronto Zoo is part of the AZA Grevy’s Zebra Species Survival Plan (SSP), building our understanding of these incredible animals and supporting field conservation efforts for the species.

Now Toronto Zoo has announced the Grevy’s zebra foal, affectionately known as #BBZeeBee, has a name! With over 8,500 people voting in the “Help Us Name #BBZeeBee" promotion, one name has emerged as the favorite… introducing, Poe! Poe was chosen through online voting from a list of four preselected names, in keeping with the tradition of naming their Grevy’s zebra offspring after Star Wars inspired names, previous zebra babies were named Luke, Leia, Rey and Obi. The naming promotion was launched on Tuesday, December 15, 2020 and ran through Sunday, December 20, 2020 at 11:59 pm.

Taronga Zoo Sydney is celebrating the birth of an adorable female Long-nosed Fur Seal pup, who made her entrance into the world on 21 December 2020.

The pup, who is now three weeks old, was born to first-time mum Keke and is the first long-nosed fur seal pup to be born at Taronga Zoo in more than two decades.

Keepers report mum and pup are doing extremely well and are getting to know one another in the quiet surrounds of the a purpose-built seal nursery.

Seal pups are not born knowing how to swim, so Keke will spend the next little while giving some swimming lessons before the pair are ready to venture from the nursery.

The little pup was just 3.58kg when she was first born, but has been suckling well and now weighs in at just over 4kg.

Keke is a rescue seal and was bought to the Taronga Wildlife Hospital in 2012 after she was found in Sydney Harbour with injuries from a boat strike. After prolonged treatment she was deemed not to be a suitable candidate for release.

An inquisitive and curious seal, Keke has spent the last few years engaging guests at the Seals for the Wild, powered by Red Energy.

While this little pup is not yet on display, visitors to Taronga can still see Amalie, an adorable five-month-old Australia Sea-lion, who is full of fun antics.

Taronga Zoo is open every day of the school holidays with more than 4,000 animals too meet from around the Whole WILD World.

Book your tickets at taronga.org.au

Willi the Rhino turned one year old on Friday, January 8. The southern white rhinoceros was born at Zoo Dortmund zoo on January 8, 2020 at 10:55 p.m. Let’s look back on a year in which Willi inspired Dortmund and its visitors with his curious, open-minded and blustery style. The Zoo has put together is video of best moments of his first year in the world.

The video shows, among other things, Willi's birth, his first playful fight with his mother Shakina, first trips to the outdoor area, which he apparently processed shortly afterwards in a dream, the first attempt to eat hay even though he had no teeth, the first direct encounter with rhinoceros grandma Natala, with rhinoceros cow Jasira and finally his father Amari. The young rhinoceros romped around a lot with Amari, usually until she stopped romping. But Willi was also always very open to his keepers, as the scene with the massage shows.

All the best, dear Willi!

Text and editing: Marcel Stawinoga / @zoolotse

The Indianapolis Zoo is excited to welcome the arrival of two adorable Gentoo penguin chicks, hatched just days before Christmas. They’re also celebrating the beautiful differences of their families, because one of the newcomers was born to a same-sex pair — a first for the Zoo! 

Same-sex pairings have also occurred with penguin species in the wild and in other zoos. The two male birds became first-time dads when their chick hatched on Dec. 15. A female that’s actually paired with another penguin laid the egg and left it with the all-male couple, who have been caring for it ever since. Gentoo penguins co-parent their young, and just as a female-male pair would do, the two fathers have taken turns tending the nest, incubating the egg and now feeding the chick.  

The other chick hatched a week earlier on Dec. 8, to a female-male pair who are also first-time parents. All the adults are doing a great job as caregivers, and while they don’t know the sexes of the two chicks, the young birds are both growing quickly. The first-born chick weighed 99.7 grams at birth and has grown to 2,000 grams (4 pounds, 6 ounces) at its weigh-in today. The second chick has already grown to 1,405 grams (3 pounds, 1 ounce) from its birth weight of 114 grams.   

These are the first two penguin chicks hatched at the Indianapolis Zoo since 2012, and the first for the Gentoo flock since 2011.