Asheboro, N.C. – May 24, 2023 -   The North Carolina Zoo is excited to announce a soaring addition to its family. The Zoo’s 13-year-old giraffe Leia gave birth to her calf—already about six feet tall—on Saturday, May 20. 

The 145-pound calf was born to parents Leia (cow) and Jack (bull). The first-time mom and her offspring are healthy and currently bonding behind the scenes. The Zoo has had 12 previous giraffe births, making this one lucky 13. 

The Zoo's animal care team will determine when mom and calf will join the herd—or tower (group of giraffes) on habitat and in public view. The public is encouraged to tune into the Zoo's social media channels for photos, updates, and information about how the calf will be named.

For the first time in 16 years, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in Washington, D.C., is celebrating the birth of three meerkats. Keepers in the Small Mammal House reported for duty the morning of May 10 and observed that 5-year-old Sadie had given birth overnight. NZCBI had received a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan (SSP) to breed Sadie and the pups’ 6-year-old father Frankie. These pups are the first offspring for Sadie; Frankie sired offspring previously at his former zoo. Meerkats live in groups called mobs that can include as many as 30 individuals, although the average mob size is around 10 to 15 individuals. Visitors can view NZCBI’s meerkat mob—which also includes Sadie’s sister, Stella—at the Small Mammal House. 

Marwell Zoo has welcomed incredibly rare cotton-headed tamarin triplets!

The Critically Endangered infants were born to first time parents, Gurt and Mico on 6 May and keepers say they are doing well.

Both mother, Gurt, and father, Mico, can be seen taking turns carrying the youngsters, who cling to the fur on their parent’s back and stomach areas.

The arrivals are incredibly rare because there are three of them as well as their conservation status.

It is normal for cotton-headed tamarins to give birth to twins every year in the wild but triplets are incredibly uncommon.

Recent Births and Hatchings Offer Guests Rare Opportunities to Learn About Little-known Species—and Celebrate “Mother’s Day” Every Day

SAN DIEGO (May 11, 2023) – From Arabian oryx to Nubian ibex, and spotted turtles to Amur leopard cubs, the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are brimming with babies!  Every day is “Mother’s Day” and “Babies’ Day,” as a spring baby boom is now providing guests at both the Zoo and Safari Park with remarkable opportunities to see and learn about amazing young wildlife—including an okapi calf, a Matschie’s tree kangaroo joey and a Przewalski’s horse foal at the Safari Park; and Andean bear cubs, Lord Howe Island stick insects and Fijian iguanas at the Zoo.

Babies are always delightful—cute and fun to watch grow—but more importantly, these wildlife youngsters serve as ambassadors for their species. Seeing a baby animal up close provides guests a unique opportunity to connect with them, with the hope that each visitor gains a greater appreciation for the species, and the urgent need to conserve and protect wildlife and native habitats.

The San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, as members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), participate in the AZA Species Survival Plan (SSP) to maintain healthy, genetically diverse assurance populations of many threatened and endangered  species. 

Guests visiting the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park can see the newest generation of young wildlife and their doting mothers, while also enjoying special events and activities.

At the San Diego Zoo

Nighttime Zoo May 26-Sept. 4

The San Diego Zoo’s annual after-dark extravaganza—Nighttime Zoo—offers guests live music, entertainment, special events and more while learning more about wildlife from an unusual nighttime perspective.  

This summer, two dazzling events will light up the night. "Call of the Night"—a 12-minute symphony of live music, lasers, moving lights, rhythmic acrobats, fog and bubbles—will be presented nightly at Hua Mei Plaza; and "Jambo Dunia!," a 15 -minute spectacular celebrating Africa along Front Street, will be led by the Zoo’s musical act, Chameleons, and showcase festive pageantry with giant, handcrafted puppets. 

At the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Journey into the Wild – all new!

Join the Safari Park’s wildlife care specialists at an all-new conservation presentation—making its debut this month—highlighting a variety of wildlife ambassadors! Species will vary each day and represent San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s conservation work in South America (Amazonia) and right here in our own backyard in the Southwest. Journey into the Wild takes place daily at 2 p.m., at Benbough Amphitheater.

Safari Experiences

All summer long, guests at the Safari Park can experience up-close wildlife encounters, entertainment, culinary delights and more, making memories that last a lifetime.  For guests looking to upgrade their visit, the Safari Park offers memory-making Safari Experiences, including:

A Behind-the-Scenes Safari, allowing guests to venture deep into the Safari Park, get a closer look at their favorite wildlife and meet the wildlife care specialists who care for them.

A Wildlife Safari is a great way to see antelope, giraffes, rhinos and more from the comfort of a covered, open-air safari truck, and journey into our African savanna habitats with an expert guide.

The Flightline Safari is an exciting zip line adventure, allowing guests to soar like a condor over the Safari Park. Riders travel more than two-thirds of a mile over the Asian and African savanna habitats, above exotic wildlife including wildebeest and antelope.

Roar & Snore Safari is an overnight tent-camping experience in a scenic location that overlooks the East Africa savanna habitat—the Safari Park’s largest—inhabited by giraffes, rhinos, and more.

The Sun Up Cheetah Safari gives visitors a chance to witness the fastest animals on land doing what they do best, before the Safari Park opens. Safari guests take an early morning expedition with an experienced guide and enjoy the remarkable sights and sounds as a new day begins.

With every visit to the Zoo and Safari Park this summer, guests become allies for wildlife. With every admission ticket, and each time guests purchase an item or share what they have learned about wildlife and conservation, they help San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance take another step in achieving its mission of saving animals and plants worldwide, and creating a world where all life thrives.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo is celebrating the birth of a male critically endangered Black Rhino calf born on 14th April to mother Kufara using a world-first reproductive treatment for the species.

BIG (but little) news! It has been a busy time for the carnivores at Fossil Rim (Glen Rose, TX). The AZA accredited wildlife center is thrilled to announce the birth of two black-footed cat litters!

The first litter (two little boys) was born to female Afryea on March 31^st. The second litter was born to Bandit on April 16th (one girl and one boy). 

Two spotted, wriggly, critically endangered cubs born at CMZoo

May 19, 2023 (COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) – There were happy tears at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on Wednesday, when Asian Highlands keepers celebrated the long-awaited arrival of two V.I.C.s – very important cubs. It has been nearly 20 years since Amur leopard cubs were born at CMZoo. Three days after Mother’s Day, Anya, a 9-year-old critically endangered Amur leopard became a first-time mom.

The Sacramento Zoo is thrilled to announce that a Critically Endangered Sumatran orangutan has been born at the Zoo – the first orangutan birth at the Sac Zoo since 1981.

With only 79 Sumatran orangutans in human care in the United States, and populations of wild orangutans rapidly declining, every birth is a monumental success for the species.

Indah, the Zoo’s 19-year-old Sumatran orangutan, gave birth to a healthy male infant on the evening of May 1. Both mother and infant are doing well. After the birth of the infant, care staff began around the clock observations to be certain everything was going smoothly with the pair.

We are so excited to feature the two newest members of the Cincinnati Zoo fam…bat-eared fox kits! These 2 little boys were born on April 6th to first-time parents Frankie and Otis. While Otis prefers to live out of the public eye, you may have seen their mom, Frankie, during a program at the zoo! Through ultrasounds, radiographs and even thermal imaging, we were able to stay on top of how the babies and mom were doing during the entirety of her pregnancy and beyond. The kits are strong and full of personality already. These kits are not yet available to be viewed by the public.

ATLANTA – May 9, 2023 – It’s a boy! The infant gorilla at Zoo Atlanta has been confirmed to be male, and has been named Willie B., III. The name follows the tradition of his father, Willie B., Jr., and his legendary grandfather, the late Willie B.