An endangered female Baird’s Tapir born on February 17 at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society is the Zoo’s first birth of 2014. The calf was named Luna in a naming contest at nearby Palmetto Elementary School. 

Photo Credit:  Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society

Jan Steele, General Curator for the Zoo, said from its birth, the calf has been in good health, and has been gaining weight at a steady rate. “At first, we monitored the calf, but gave Alyssa space to strengthen her bond with her baby,” explained Steele. “Because Alyssa rejected her first calf, we wanted to make sure she allowed this second one to nurse.” 

Zoo keepers had been studying methods to increase the likelihood that Alyssa would accept this calf, and had given her “scratch-downs” which calmed her and allowed multiple ultrasounds that showed the calf’s progress before it was born.

The calf’s weight was 40.5 pounds on March 7, when she was seventeen days old. Zoo keepers said the calf is on target to double in weight within her first three to four weeks of life, as Tapirs are expected to do.

See more photos and videos, and learn more about Tapirs below the fold.

The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo welcomed a new addition on February 10 – a two-inch-long Crocodile Skink.  It’s the first time this lizard species has ever hatched at the zoo.  The hatchling weighed two grams, approximately the weight of a pencil eraser. 

Photo Credit:  Fort Wayne Children's Zoo

This little Crocodile Skink came as a surprise to zoo keepers.  Late last year, zoo keepers discovered that the zoo’s two adult Crocodile Skinks had produced an egg in their exhibit.  Zoo keeper Dave Messmann accidentally disturbed the egg while cleaning the Skinks’ aquarium.  “We were concerned about the disturbance.  It’s best practice to avoid moving a reptile egg,” Messmann said.  That’s because if a reptile egg is disturbed, an air pocket inside the egg can shift, potentially causing the embryo to suffocate. 

Hoping for the best, zoo keepers decided to incubate the egg by placing it in a deli tub filled with wet moss.  The egg incubated at room temperature, undisturbed.  After 60 days, the egg hatched.

Now more than a month old, the hatchling is developing normally.  The gender is not yet known.  Adult Crocodile Skinks are about eight inches long and weigh about one pound.

Crocodile Skinks are native to New Guinea in Southeast Asia, where they inhabit moist areas along waterways.  They are one of the few lizards that make sounds.  Because they are secretive, little is known about them in the wild.

Perth Zoo has three new residents. These super-cute meerkat kits were born on February 15 and are just starting to explore their home in the Zoo’s African Savannah.

The trio kept to their nest box for the first three weeks but recently began venturing out and playing with the adults and older siblings in their 13-strong meerkat clan.

Photo credits: Perth Zoo

“All of the adult males in the group have been helping mum, Tilly, by sharing the babysitting duties,” Perth Zoo exotics keeper Kaelene McKay said.

“The sex of the kits will be determined at their first health check and vaccination next month.

“The kits are absolutely gorgeous and it’s a real treat to watch them playing together.”

Perth Zoo has two meerkat colonies in its African Savannah.

Found in southern African, meerkats are members of the Mongoose family. They are extremely social animals but are highly territorial and will fiercely defend their home from other meerkat mobs.

In the wild, appointed meerkat sentries keep a look-out for predators while other group members forage for food.

The sentries stand on their hind legs to get a good view of approaching predators and when a threat is spotted, the sentries let out an alarm call and the group dives into its burrow.

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Meet Kimberely and Anneli, two orphaned Lumholtz Tree Kangaroos in the care of Margit Cianelli, one of only two people licensed to rescue and rehabilitate this lesser known Australian species. Both joeys are thriving under Margit's expert care but have tough stories.

Kimberely (the larger one) was found in a water stream after falling from the trees. Some local aboriginals swimming nearby pulled her out (saving her life) and attempted to reconnect her with her mother in the trees above. The mother however, did not show interest in the joey and hence Margit was given the joey to hand raise. Margit suspects that the mother rejected Kimberley because she is an extremely active joey and she may have been too much to deal with. It’s possible she was a first time mother.

Anneli the smaller of the two was found near a farm area motionless under a water pump. Clearly she had been separated by her mother for days as she was suffering physically being weak, malnourished and dehydrated. She was very light and when taken to the vet she was discovered to be suffering from pneumonia, septicemia and multiple infections. She was placed on an IV drip for seven days and against the odds she recovered and has transformed into a healthy young joey.

DONT MISS THIS AMAZING VIDEO

Margit has cared for over 15 Tree Kangaroos joeys in the past and is seen as a pioneer in Tree Kangaroo rehabilitation. She often has the joeys for over a year as preparing them for return to the wild is a long process. They need to be taught how to climb (this includes daily exercise in the climbing yard), they get taught what foods are safe to eat (the spaghetti is a treat), they also are nurtured and encouraged to be confident upon release.

Tree Kangaroos are a highly territorial species and finding unoccupied space can be challenging. Initially when released Margit will put radio collars on her roos and allow them to return until they have found their own territory to ensure they survive during their first few weeks in the wild.

Both Australian species of Tree Kangaroo, the Lumholtz and Bennett's, are currently under threat due to habitat fragmentation from human encroachment, car accidents and dogs whose territory they pass through while looking for new homes.

Photo and Video Credits: Adam Cox, Wakaleo / Creatura Channel

Want to do more to help Tree Kangaroos? Check out the nearby Tree Roo Rescue and Conservation Centre. Video of their current guests below:

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Three North American River Otter pups were born Monday, March 3, 2014 at the Pueblo Zoo. Keepers were able to get close enough on March 6 to weigh and sex the pups. The zoo confirms there are two females and one male! Judging by their healthy initial weights, the pups seem to be nursing well - 145g (boy), 135g (girl), 155g (big girl!). 

The pups are currently off exhibit and zookeepers and staff are giving the new family their space. It may be several weeks to more than a month before they are ready to make a public appearance. Their first official wellness exam was Monday. Stay tuned for more updates!

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The newest adorable addition to the Dallas Zoo is a chimpanzee baby born Jan. 26, the second for mother Ramona.

“We have a healthy, vibrant troop of chimpanzees that continues to grow here at the Dallas Zoo,” said Keith Zdrojewski, mammal curator. “And Ramona is taking exceptionally good care of the new baby, as she did with Kona in 2009.”

The baby won’t be named until its sex can be determined. It appears to be healthy, but the zoo’s veterinary team will wait until mom and baby have more time to bond before they administer routine health exams. For the next two to three years, the baby will be completely dependent on its mother for care. Starting today, guests may see Ramona carrying the baby in the Kimberly-Clark Chimpanzee Forest (weather permitting) until it begins to start moving about on its own. Zoo staff and volunteers will observe the troop daily to ensure the baby is nursing and meeting appropriate development milestones.

Learn more below the fold...

A Bactrian Camel born on February 25 is already winning fans at the Cincinnati Zoo.  Keepers announced the male baby’s name, Jack, one week and one day later – on Hump Day, of course.

Photo Credit:  Cincinnati Zoo

 
Zoo keepers filmed Jack’s first steps, which were taken just an hour after he was born.  Because the weather was so cold during his first week, Jack wore a coat to help him stay warm!  Luckily, the cold spell did not last and the zoo captured photos of Jack and his mother, Sarrai. 

Bactrian camels are native to the steppes of Central Asia.  They have two humps, in comparison to the one-humped Dromedary Camel native to the Middle East and northern Africa.  They were domesticated thousands of years ago and transported humans vast distances in ancient times.  Able to survive up to 10 months without drinking water, Bactrian camels are listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.  Fewer than 1,000 Bactrian Camels survive in the wild; interbreeding with domestic populations is diminishing the genetic integrity of the species.

See more photos of Jack below.

Indiana’s Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo enjoyed a January baby boom when two Black-and-White Colobus Monkeys were born within two days of one another. 

“The fact that they were born within two days of each other was a big surprise,” said African Journey Area Manager Amber Eagleson.  “We were aware that both of the adult females were pregnant, but based on their size we anticipated that one mother would deliver a bit later than the other.  We never expected two infants at the same time!”

Photo Credit:  Fort Wayne Children's Zoo

Zoo keepers bestowed corresponding names on the little Monkeys:  the male is named Obi, which means “heart” in an African language, and the female is named Mchumba, which translates as “sweetheart.”

Keepers had to wait to name the infants until they could determine their genders.  Mchumba clung so tightly to her mom that there was no opportunity to determine gender for several weeks after birth. The babies are half-siblings – they were born to different mothers and share the same father. 

Colobus Monkeys begin life with all-white fur.  At three or four months of age, they develop the dramatic black and white coat that characterizes the adult Monkeys.  Colobus are unusual among Monkeys because they have a three-chambered stomach, which helps digest the fibrous leaves they consume in the wild.  

Colobus Monkeys live in the rain forests of central and eastern Africa, and their survival in the wild is threatened by habitat destruction.  The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo participates in the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan to ensure genetically healthy populations of endangered and threatened animals.

A Pygmy Hippo has been born at Bristol Zoo Gardens in England! The calf, born in early February, has been named Winnie. She was born to mom Sirana and father Nato, and lives with them on exhibit at the zoo. She spends her time eating, sleeping, and swimming around the exhibit’s heated pool.

Baby hippos are usually born underwater and can swim almost immediately. However, mom still keeps a watchful eye on her calf. 

Assistant Curator of Mammals Lynsey Bugg says, “Young hippos tire easily and Sirana will quite often guide her baby into shallow water or bring her out of the pool. Sirana is very protective and doesn’t let her stay in deep water for too long."

Photo credits: Katie Horrocks (1-3); Western Daily Press (4,5) 

Pygmy Hippos are much smaller than their big cousins the Common Hippopotamus, measuring just under three feet (.9 m) tall at the shoulder as adults. They are well adapted to aquatic life, with a nose and ears can be closed underwater. Shy and nocturnal, they live in the forests and swamps of West Africa. 

In the wild, females usually breed once every two years. A single calf is born after a gestation period of about six months. A calf weighs between 10 to 14 pounds (4.5 and 6.2 kg) and is unable to walk very far at first. The mother conceals it in thick cover and visits to feed it. After three months, the youngster begins to eat vegetation.

The Pygmy Hippo is threatened in the wild, where it is thought less than 2,000 survive. In Liberia, destruction of forests surrounding the Sapo National Park by logging companies is damaging one of the few remaining strongholds for this species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Pygmy Hippo as Endangered.

Bristol Zoo Gardens is part of an international captive breeding program for the Pygmy Hippo. Buggs says, “The European program is a well-established and very successful program and our male, Nato, is a genetically important animal; by default, so will be his offspring."

Zoo Miami is celebrating the birth of five African Red River Hogs! The three males and two females were born on February 28 and are the first of this species ever born at Zoo Miami. 

The first-time mother, three-year-old Penny, was born at the Oklahoma City Zoo. The first-time father is two-year-old Baloo, who was born at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. The mother and her piglets are presently separated from the rest of the group and will remain off-exhibit for a little while until the staff feel that mother and babies have bonded well and are secure with their surroundings.  Penny is being an excellent mother and is very attentive to the piglets. 

Photo credit: Zoo Miami

See and read more after the fold!