Polar bear twins Aleut and Gregory made their debut at Nuremberg Zoo yesterday, March 23rd, and it wasn't long before they were swimming happily with Mom for the first time. The cubs were born December 2nd and were left for many weeks undisturbed and in the care of experienced Mom Vera in a secluded den. A week ago, keepers noticed mother Vera's increasing interest in the door to the outside enclosure. With the cubs having been given their vaccinations and the outdoor enclosure checked for safety, there was nothing in the way of a grand debut. Aleut and Gregory are siblings of Flocke, the famous Nuremberg Polar Bear.

Photo credits: Nuremberg Zoo

Four-hourly-feeds are the norm for keeper Alex Pinnell who has taken charge of an orphaned Wallaby joey at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. The tiny Wallaby named Pip was abandoned by her mother and so is being hand-reared by Alex, who is using her rucksack as a makeshift pouch for the little marsupial.

Photo credits: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

Alex, 29, who works on the farm section and with the sealions, keeps Pip with her during the day at all times, just as her real mum might do and also has to make sure she is fed – every four hours. The seven-month-old joey will be looked after by Alex for the next few months. After that, she will live on the zoo’s Children’s Farm, where visitors will be able to see her hopping around with the other free roamers.
 
For the next few months though, mum’s the word for Alex who is getting used to her new charge:

“She is adorable but exhausting! Luckily she is starting to sleep through at night now and is very good at taking her bottle!”

Alex can also looking forward to her first Mother’s Day at the zoo as surrogate mum to little Pip.

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo is pleased to announce the birth of its 44th Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth. Ocabo (Oh-cob-oh) was born on February 9; he is the son of Bite Lip and Beauregard. The name, Ocabo, comes from a Latin American word meaning “head,” and was chosen because of the young Sloth’s exceptionally large skull. After some initial supplementation from zoo staff, Ocabo is thriving and can be seen on exhibit with the other Sloths.

Photo credits: Rosamond Gifford Zoo

Busch Gardens' animal care team has something new keeping them up at night -- a four-week-old baby cheetah that requires regular feedings and 24-hour care. The new cub was born at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens to a mother who wasn't able to care for him. When zoo keepers saw that the baby was not eating and having trouble gaining weight, they made the decision to hand-raise him at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Now, at a little more than two pounds, the cub is eating well, getting stronger and eagerly exploring his new home. Do NOT miss the video.

Photo credits: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Once he is old enough, he will join the group of cheetahs living in Cheetah Run, the innovative new habitat opening alongside the Cheetah Hunt launch coaster that will bring guests face to face with these agile predators. Upon reaching maturity, he may also become an important part of Busch Gardens’ plans for a cheetah breeding program that will help boost the population of these critically endangered animals.

Learn more below the fold.

The Tisch Children’s Zoo at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo has some new additions: four baby Mini-Nubian Goats. The four youngsters, which include a set of twins, were born in late February and early March. They can be seen playing in their exhibit where they climb and leap off of any surface available. Visitors can pet the babies and their mothers in the Tisch Children’s Zoo along with other domestic animals such as sheep, alpacas, and Othello – the only cow in Manhattan.

Photo credits: Julie Larsen Maher © Wildlife Conservation Society

Ecstatic keepers at Blackpool Zoo have really earned their stripes after becoming the first UK team to successfully breed a Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra in the last nine years. The foal is also the first of its species to arrive in the whole of Europe in 2011, with just 12 born around the globe in 2010. Named Tebogo, a South African name which means ‘we are thankful’, by keepers, he takes the number of Hartmann’s Mountain Zebras in captivity in the UK to 14.

Photo credits: Blackpool Zoo

The Fresno Chaffee Zoo proudly debuted two Sumatran Orangutan babies on Friday, March 18th. The male, Labu, was born on October 31st, 2010, and the female, Ndari, on December 18th, 2010. Both births are a significant accomplishment given the species' endangered status due to logging for palm oil and illegal pet trade.

Photo credits: Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Last month, keepers began introducing the North Carolina Zoo's baby Chimp, Nori, to her outdoor exhibit. Born August 2 at the Zoo, Nori is just beginning the process of learning to be outside with other members of her troop. As she adjusts to these new surroundings, she will be outside intermittently. Because Nori's appearance will depend on many factors outside the keepers' control, visitors will have to depend on good timing and a little bit of luck to catch an early glimpse of the infant. Keepers hope to have Nori on exhibit full time by late Spring.

Photo credits: thezoodude

On Thursday, Rotterdam Zoo visitors had the priviledge of seeing Polar Bear cub Vicks, born December 6th, explore the outside world for the first time.  The cub, whose sex is still unknown, had spent the first months of life in a maternity den with mother Olinka. The increasingly precocious cub spent the day frolicking around the exhibit and even had his first swimming lesson.

Photo credits: Rotterdam Zoo

Some webcam footage of Vicks with Olinka at just 21 days of age...

A healthy, active ocelot kitten received a clean bill of health during an examination administered by the Woodland Park Zoo's animal health staff. The kitten was born at the Zoo on January 15 and currently weighs nearly 3½ pounds. The 8-week-old kitten, named Evita, remains off public view in a birthing den with her mom,10-year-old Bella. Just as in the wild, Woodland Park's mother ocelots cares for her kitten young alone.  The kitten will continue to undergo a series of exams for the next couple of months to ensure she’s achieving acceptable weight gains and other important benchmarks. Don't miss the outstanding video below.

Via a closed-circuit cam, staff is monitoring Evita’s growth, progress and the maternal care Bella is providing. “Evita is exceeding all of our expectations and spending more and more time out of the den playing and climbing. She’s very playful and has a feisty temperament,” noted Myers. “Our keepers introduce a variety of enrichment toys to help stimulate natural behavior, but her favorite enrichment toy seems to be her mom, and that’s a good thing too.”

Photo and video credits: Ryan Hawk / Woodland Park Zoo. Read more below the fold.