Time to check back in on the New York Aquarium's noisy little orphan Sea Otter, Tazo! For those of you who are just jumping in to the Tazo saga, this little otter was rescued and rehabilitated by the Alaska SeaLife Center. In September, Tazo made a big move from Alaska to the New York Aquarium. Unlike many out-of-state transplants, Tazo seems to be adjusting to big city life just fine as evidenced in the video belows.

The Wildlife Conservation Society's Central Park Zoo welcomed four Banded Mongoose pups this month and they have just been moved to the Tropic Zone where the public can enjoy their playful antics. The rambunctious babies' rough-housing mimics the boldness adult mongooses are famous for. Banded Mongooses live in groups of up to 70 individuals and multiple females will often give birth to their litters on the exact same day. 

Photo credits: Julie Larsen Maher / Wildlife Conservation Society

Cheetahs have been born at the the Wilds conservation center for the first time in the center’s history.  The first litter was born on October 20. Wilds' staff monitoring the female by video observed five-year-old “Kenji” leaving the cubs shortly after they were born and could see that one of the cubs was still wet and noticeably weaker.  Because the mother showed no interest in returning to the three cubs, the decision was made to hand-rear them. The second litter was born yesterday, October 28, and the three cubs are currently being cared for by five-year-old “Kamaria”. The Wilds is located in Cumberland, Ohio.  

Photo credits: Grahm Jones / Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

”Everyone at the Wilds is very excited about the new cubs.  Our whole team has put a lot of effort into making this program a success,” said Dan Beetem, Director of Animal Management.  “At the same time, we are being very cautious.  Newborn cubs can be very fragile and we have to monitor their progress one day at a time.  We hope that these cubs will survive and go on to be future breeders for the managed population."The breeding of these endangered cats at the Wilds was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for cheetahs.  

Gorilla mom Cassie and Columbus Zoo staff were all thrilled Sept 29th to welcome an adorable newborn gorilla. This is the first baby for Cassie, a critically endangered Western Lowland Gorilla. Father Annaka and two other members of the gorilla troop have also proven to be attentive family members. The numbers of wild gorillas are declining due to poaching, habitat destruction, and disease, but the Columbus Zoo is doing its part to help. Learn more at the bottom of the post. 

Photo credits: Grahm Jones / Columbus Zoo & Aquarium

The Columbus Zoo supports several great ape projects including the Mbeli Bai Study of Western Lowland Gorillas based in the Republic of Congo, and the Cross River Gorilla Project in Cameroon and Nigeria. Over the past five years the Columbus Zoo and Partners in Conservation has distributed more than $4 million in conservation grants worldwide.  More than $1 million has been devoted to gorilla conservation in their range countries since 1993.

Full release below the fold.

The National Zoo is preparing to let its newest little lion cubs into the main exhibit area. But before they do, they need to make sure the cubs know how to swim since there is a large water area for the big cats to enjoy. The video below documents the cubs first day at the Zoo YMCA.

Photo credits: Meghan Murphy / Smithsonian National Zoo

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Unlike tigers, which seem to enjoy the occasional dip, lions typically only swim when they have to to cross a small body of water, and don't appear to relish the experience.

Nikki, the Cincinnati Zoo’s endangered Indian Rhino, gave birth early this morning to the world’s first live Indian Rhino calf produced by artificial insemination (AI). Nikki delivered a male calf at 6:06 a.m. in her indoor stall. Currently, the calf is in critical condition with Zoo staff working diligently to feed and stabilize him. Meanwhile, Nikki is doing well and will remain indoors. Nikki has been monitored 24 hours a day since the first of October.  She became increasingly restless throughout Monday evening into the night. Cincinnati Zoo Volunteer Observers called Zoo staff in early Tuesday morning. Nikki delivered her calf while volunteer and staff watched anxiously via a live video feed. As soon as the calf was born, Zoo staff jumped into action to assist and resuscitate the calf who was at first not breathing.  The calf has been successfully breathing on its own since.

Photo credits: Cincinnati Zoo

Apenheul Primate Park visitor JeanKern took these candid photos of Orangutan Wattana and her 8-month-old son Kawan enjoying a sunny October day. Wattana was hand-raised by keepers at the Antwerp Zoo, requiring her to learn her mothering skills from fellow Apenheul Orangutan moms Sandy and Radja. The same year Wattana arrived at Apenheul, eight-year-old Amos also came to the primate park. Right from their first meeting, Wattana was teasing Amos continuously. According to keepers on hand at the time: “She tried to attract his attention by swinging back and forth over his head and throwing hay at him. She even sucked her mouth full of water and sprayed it over Amos from a distance. It was hilarious!”  Wattana's flirtatious antics ultimately led to a courtship and the birth of baby Kawan.

Photo credits: JeanKern

The Houston Zoo welcomed the arrival of a baby giant on October 11.  A baby Giant Eland, that is. Mom Dorothy gave birth to an as yet unnamed male calf between noon and 1 p.m. on Monday, October 11.  The calf was standing on his own at 1:30 and was nursing 10 minutes later.  He weighed 60 pounds at birth.

Photo credits: Stephanie Adams

Marwell Wildlife is celebrating the recent birth of a Brazilian tapir. Born on 2 September to proud mum Summer and dad Ronny, the baby girl has been named ‘Quito’ (pronounced kito) after the capitol city of Ecuador, which lies in the western part of the tapir range. Quito was born with a very pretty coat of pale spots and stripes on a reddish brown background. When she is around a year old she will lose her markings and develop a beautiful light brown colour, just like her big sister Rio.  “Quito is doing really well and is full of confidence, she loves nothing better than exploring her new home. Summer is an excellent mum, whilst her big sister Rio and dad Ronny are never far away in case she runs into trouble. Brazilian tapirs are generally shy animals however, our family are very easy going and Ronny in particular loves a tickle under his chin” said David White, Head keeper for the tapirs. 

Brazilian tapirs live in the Amazon rainforest and spend much of their time foraging near water, which they also use as an escape route from predators such as jaguars. They are able to stay submerged for hours using their long noses to breathe through, just like a snorkel. Tapirs closest living relatives are hoofed animals likes horses and rhinos. Although not as critically endangered as the Malayan tapir, there are still several threats to the survival of the Brazilian tapirs including: illegal hunting, habitat fragmentation which can result in reduced genetic diversity and home range, plus loss of habitat by subsistence farmers and illegal logging.  They are currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

The Point Defiance Zoo's newest SumatranTiger cub twins got a special Halloween treat this week as you can see in the video below. Bima, a male, and Mali, a female, have been growing steadily since their birth May 25th, but still have a long way to go before they reach their adult weight of up to 300lbs. Keepers say the cubs names, which were selected by the public, are quite fitting. “Their new names match their personalities perfectly,” said staff biologist Andy Goldfarb. “The male, Bima, really is brave. He’s always the first to explore and try new things. His sister, Mali, is so beautiful and elegant.” The pictures were taken at 8 weeks but the video is from just last week.