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January 2010

Oliver the Koala Comes out to Play

Little Oliver the Koala was born back in April at the Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina but, like other marsupials, spent his first months in mom's pouch. The little joey is only now too large for mom "Lottie's" pouch but still spends his days close by, usually clinging to her back or tucked under her stomach. 

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Photo credits: Riverbanks Zoo

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Minnesota Zoo Hand-Rears a Baby Gibbon

The Minnesota Zoo’s three week old White-Cheeked Gibbon infant is doing well despite being rejected by her mom. The Zoo is celebrating her progress by releasing behind-the-scenes footage from a recent feeding session. Just like human babies, baby gibbons are completely dependent on mom in the early months of life so zoo staff are working around the clock to hand-rear the little girl. The new baby gibbon will not be on exhibit for several months to ensure proper feeding, rest, and care.

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Apparently baby gibbons sound like R2D2!

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Arabian Sand Cat Kittens!

Meet the Cincinnati Zoo's newest little Arabian Sand Cat kittens, who just debuted to the public today. Born on October 29th, the kittens, male "Najah" and female "Fath," currently weigh just 1lb. 12 oz. and 1 lb. 6 oz. respectively.

Arabian Sand Cat kittens 1 rs Arabian Sand Cat kittens 2 rsPhoto credits: Cincinnati Zoo 

The kittens' parents are a specially selected breeding pair from the Al Wabra Reserve in Qatar. Sand cats have fur on their feet to walk on hot sands and dig their own burrows to make nests and avoid the heat of the desert.


Rare Baby Albino Snapping Turtles

North Dakota's Red River Zoo got a rare surprise last week when an anonymous donor dropped off two albino Common Snapping Turtles. Albinism is caused by a lack of melanin pigment and albino Snapping Turtles account for only one in every 30,000. In the wild, albino turtles rarely live to adulthood as their distinct coloring makes them stand out to predators as tasty snacks.  

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Photo credits: Red River Zoo

If you find yourself in or around Fargo, ND, you can visit the hatchlings Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4PM (weather permitting) throughout the winter.

Melbourne Zoo's Elephant Calf at 5... Days!

At only 5 days old, Melbourne Zoo's latest addition is already frolicking in her enclosure, and while mother and calf are doing well, this remains a critical time for the baby. The pair will stay off-exhibit for a few days yet, but you can follow her development at the Zoo's Baby Elephant Blog.

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all photos by: David Caird

More photos below the fold...

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Checking Back-in with Perth's Baby Orangutan

ZooBorns reader and amateur photographer Sam Finlay-Notman was kind enough to send us some new pictures of happy orangutan family, Puteri and her baby, at the Perth Zoo. As we noted back in November, this baby serves as the Zoo's poster child for an anti-palm oil campaign. Palm oil production is the number one threat to wild Sumatran orangutan populations. Learn what you can do to help here.

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Australia's First Ever Female Asian Elephant Birth

The first baby elephant in Melbourne Zoo's 147-year history was born early yesterday to the delight of tired but ecstatic Zoo staff. After weeks of round the clock monitoring, and enormous anticipation, Asian Elephant Dokkoon became the first elephant in Australia to give birth to a female calf and also to deliver a baby conceived by artificial insemination.

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