Belfast Zoo is delighted to announce the birth of their third set of Capybara babies in the past year!

The Zoo’s Capybara couple, Chester and Lola, has produced happy ‘capy’ babies three times in the last nine months. The loved up couple welcomed the first pair in April 2018, followed by the second set in July, and the most recent babies in late December.

Belfast Zoo is now home to an impressive herd of 17 Capybaras. The newest male and female offspring have not yet been named.

Photo Credits: Belfast Zoo

Capybaras are the largest rodents in the world and are often found on Central and South American riverbanks, beside ponds and in marshes. The semi-aquatic mammal can dive underwater for up to five minutes and typically live in family groups of 10 to 40. The vocal animals communicate using barks, whistles, huffs and purrs. The species’ biggest threat is their skin, which is in high demand in South America.

Zoo curator, Raymond Robinson, said, "Although the species is not currently classified as endangered, Capybaras are facing increasing danger in their natural habitat, so it is important for zoos to raise awareness of this species and help to sustain their population. We are delighted at Lola and Chester’s successful births over such a short period of time. Our Capybara’s reside in a grassy habitat along our lake walk and live alongside some other South American species including Giant Anteater and Darwin’s Rhea. We hope our visitors will enjoy seeing our little Capybara babies over the upcoming half-term holidays.”

The Assiniboine Park Zoo is thrilled to announce the birth of a White-handed Gibbon on February 4.

This is the first offspring for mom, Maya, and dad, Samson, who were matched on a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan Program and selected to be the first residents of the Zoo’s new Gibbon habitat, which opened in June 2017.

“Maya and Samson appeared to be a really good match right from the start, and we have been looking forward to this possibility for some time, so this is very exciting news for our staff, volunteers and visitors,” said Grant Furniss, Sr. Director, Zoological Operations.

For the past week, the Gibbon family has been enjoying privacy in an off-exhibit holding area where the animal care team can discreetly monitor them to ensure that both mom and baby are doing well. Maya is proving to be an attentive mother and the baby is doing well, so the Gibbons have now been given access to their indoor habitat, which is currently closed to visitors.

The baby’s sex is not yet known, as staff are currently taking a “hands off” approach and will only intervene and examine the baby if necessary.

Photo Credits: Assiniboine Park Zoo

White-handed Gibbons (Hylobates lar) are small tailless apes with soft, thick fur that can vary from black to a pale fawn colour. They live in trees and are among the fastest of all primates, using their very long arms to swing effortlessly among the branches.

They are currently classified as “Endangered” by the IUCN, due to habitat loss and hunting. They are found mainly in tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia, where palm oil production is on the rise. Palm oil is found in many food products, cosmetics, soaps, candles, and even fuel. Visitors to the Zoo can learn what they can do to bring change to the palm oil industry by supporting companies that use traceable, sustainable palm oil.

The Assiniboine Park Zoo has a very successful history with breeding Gibbons. Maya was born at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in January 2011. Her parents, Mel and Manju, both lived in Winnipeg before being transferred to Safari Niagara in 2011 when the former monkey house was decommissioned. Samson’s father, Chan, was also born at Assiniboine Park Zoo in 1992 and lived here for two years, before moving to Edmonton.

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden recently welcomed a litter of orphaned Mountain Lion cubs. The cubs, two males and a female, are approximately ten-weeks-old and arrived at the OKC Zoo in late January after being rescued from the wild.

Born in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the Mountain Lion cubs were found by game officials with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks. Realizing the cubs’ mother was deceased and they were too young to survive on their own, game officials immediately intervened and began providing 24/7 care for the orphaned cubs. They also contacted the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to locate a permanent home for the litter because recovered cubs cannot return to the wild according to South Dakota state protocol.

Learning of the cubs’ situation, the OKC Zoo made the decision to take in the litter and provide a forever home for both male cubs at its Oklahoma Trails habitat. The female cub will be relocating to AZA-accredited Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas later this summer, but will remain with her brothers at the OKC Zoo until then.

“By bringing these orphaned cubs to the OKC Zoo and providing them with the care, veterinary monitoring and enriching environment needed to thrive we are ensuring their survival.” said Tyler Boyd, OKC Zoo animal curator. “Since it opened in 2007, Oklahoma Trails has been home to Mountain Lions, and we are excited to watch these brothers grow and become beloved ambassadors for the habitat. We want to connect our guests to the importance of caring for native wildlife and wild places, and communicate why it’s vital to protect both.”

The male cubs were given the names Toho, meaning “cougar god”, and Tanka, from Wakan Tanka meaning “great spirit” in the Lakota language. The female cub has been named, Tawakoni, which is inspired by the Wichita tribe and means “river bend among red sand hills.”

According to the Zoo, all three cubs are in good health and weighed 9-10 lbs. at their last check. Once the cubs complete their 30-day quarantine at the OKC Zoo’s Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital, they will be on public view at the Oklahoma Trails exhibit.

Photo Credits: OKC Zoo/ Jennifer D'Agostino

The Mountain Lion (Puma concolor) is known by many names including catamount, cougar, panther or puma. Native to the Americas, Mountain Lions once roamed most of the United States including Oklahoma, but now the largest populations inhabit the western U.S.

Impressive in size and strength, Mountain Lions are considered apex predators meaning they are not prey to any other animals. These large carnivores are built for hunting and actually help control deer and other animal populations from reaching unhealthy levels. Adults are recognized for their solid tawny coats but cubs are born with spots that vanish before they are a year old. Cubs are also born with blue eyes that change to yellow around 16-18 months old.

Valentine’s Day was extra special at Bioparc Valencia this year  when female Chimpanzee Marlin gave birth to twins. 

Photo Credit: Bioparc Valencia

The staff had already been on alert for Malin’s approaching due date.  Malin is an experienced mother, so the staff was not overly concerned, but they added bedding to the Chimps’ indoor quarters and kept a close eye on Malin.

On February 14, they were surprised to discover that Malin had delivered twins! The sex of the infants is not yet known, but the staff can tell them apart by their ear color: one has dark ears and the other has light ears.  

Twins are somewhat rare in Chimpanzees.  Most females give birth to just one infant.  Despite the extra demand of carrying and nursing two babies, Malin is providing excellent care for her youngsters.  

Chimpanzees are native to the forests if western and central Africa.  They are listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.  

Staff from the National Aviary traveled to South Africa to assist with the rescue of nearly 2,000 Lesser Flamingo chicks that were abandoned due to severe drought. 

 Photo Credit: National Aviary

In response to an international call for expert volunteers to aid in the care of 1800 Lesser Flamingo chicks abandoned by their parents due to drought conditions near their nesting site, the National Aviary has sent avian specialist Teri Grendzinski to the SANCCOB rescue center in South Africa. 

A lack of water resulting from low rainfall, high temperatures and failing infrastructure at the Kamfers Dam in Kimberly, in the Northern Cape, led adult Flamingos to abandon their hatchlings.  The chicks were airlifted to rescue and rehabilitation centers in South Africa.

Ms. Grendzinski, who has more than 25 years of experience and has helped hand-raise multiple Flamingo chicks through the years, is on site in South Africa, where she is lending her expertise and providing hands-on assistance.  

Volunteers are working round the clock to prepare food, and hand-feed, bathe and clean the chicks, as well to provide exercise opportunities for the older chicks. As these chicks are destined for release if all goes well, care protocols are being created to prevent the birds from imprinting with their caregivers, and to foster other natural behaviors. Ms. Grendzinski has been reporting in daily with a detailed account of her work there and providing insight into the long-term challenges ahead as the chicks grow, mature and fledge. 

Lesser Flamingos are the smallest Flamingo species and are native to sub-Saharan Africa.  They are listed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to the low number of breeding sites. Most of the breeding sites are threatened by human activities.  

After a gestation of 70 days, ten Naked Mole-rat pups were born at BIOPARC Valencia.

The new family makes their home in a special exhibit that recreates the underground life of the African Savannah. Part of the galleries that houses them allows visitors to see the intricate tunnels and rooms where the rodents live and raise their young.

Photo Credits: BIOPARC Valencia

The Naked Mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a burrowing rodent native to parts of East Africa. It has a highly unusual set of physical traits that allow it to thrive in a harsh underground environment and is the only mammalian thermoconformer, almost entirely ectothermic (cold-blooded) in how it regulates body temperature. One of the most striking features is the skin that is almost free of hair and "transparent" for lack of an insulating layer of fat under it.

The Naked Mole-rat lacks pain sensitivity in its skin, and has very low metabolic and respiratory rates. The species is also remarkable for its longevity and its resistance to cancer and oxygen deprivation.

These curious rodents are the only mammals with a eusocial behavior, which is also a characteristic feature of insects. Like insects, the Naked Mole-rats live in colonies that have overlapping generations and make an organized division of labor and cooperative care of offspring. Likewise, there is only one reproductive female, the "queen", and one to three breeding males or "drones". The rest of the individuals are divided between "soldiers" and "workers". The rest of the females are sterile, because the "queen" inhibits their reproductive capacity and a part of them ingests the excrements of the queen, which are rich in the sexual hormone estradiol, which activates them to be in "breeding" mode and to exercise of caretakers of the children of the queen.

The Naked Mole-rats longevity is superior to other rodents, up to 30 years, and the low presence of cancerous tumors were already known; thanks to a special gene, p16, which prevents the disordered growth of cells.

We also knew of the species’ resistance to the absence of oxygen. A human brain can die after 1 minute without oxygen, but the Naked Mole-rat holds up to 18 minutes without it and arrives at 5 hours with low oxygen levels. What we now know is that this is because this rodent changes its metabolism to anaerobic and uses fructose as energy as plants do, instead of glucose. These latest discoveries open avenues of investigation not only to increase survival, but also to possibly preserve our brain from the damage and degeneration produced by diseases that cause oxygen deficiency in neurons.

During her first official veterinary exam, the Polar Bear cub at Tierpark Berlin demonstrated to staff that even a small bear has a lot of power!

New mother, Tonja, and her cub have spent their first eleven weeks tucked in cozy togetherness in the litter cave. The first vet exam not only determined the cub’s health, but the sex as well.

“The little Polar Bear is a cheery, strong girl. We were also able to convince ourselves personally of the development of the cub and are extremely satisfied,” shared Veterinarian/Zoo Director, Dr. Andreas Knieriem.

Photo Credits: Tierpark Berlin

Dr. Knieriem led the examination of the new cub, with the assistance of Dr. Günter Strauß and district manager Andrea Fleischer. After mom, Tonja, was lured with a warm soup of meat and carrots into the neighboring box, the vets were able to approach the youngster for the first time.

The female cub was also weighed, vaccinated, and treated for worms. With the three professional staff working together, the exam was over after about 15 minutes.

“The little Polar Bear, with a size of 61 cm from head to butt, proudly weighs 8.5 kg," explained Veterinarian, Dr. Günter Strauss.

Thanks to the extremely nutritious breast milk, with a fat content of about 30%, the cub’s size has increased rapidly in recent weeks. She currently nurses almost two hours a day, but the little bear has not dared to eat solid food.

According to Polar Bear Curator, Dr. Florian Sicks, zoo visitors will have to wait a bit to catch a glimpse of the new cub.

“Only when the little Polar Bear can safely follow mother, Tonja, will the two leave the nesting hole," Dr. Sicks explained. “This is expected to last until March.”

The cub was born December 1, 2018 to parents, Tonja (age 9) and Volodya (age 7). As in the wild, the father is not involved in the rearing of the cub.

The girl cub does not have a name yet, but Tierpark Berlin staff will announce plans for naming in the near future.

Nashville Zoo is pleased to announce the arrival of four Juliana Pigs. The Zoo welcomed three females (who were born in the same litter) and a male sired by the same father as the females.

These little pigs will stay in the Zoo’s “Critter Encounters”, so guests can interact with them, and they will also be trained to take leashed-walks throughout the Zoo. Other than during colder months where they will have access to a heated indoor area, they will be able to choose to be out and active or retreat into their house when they need to rest.

“We hope when guests interact with our Juliana Pigs they will be inspired to help other species of pigs that are declining in the wild once they see firsthand how intelligent and special pigs are,” said Megan Cohn, Nashville Zoo Contact Area Supervisor.

Photo Credits: Becky Hardy/Nashville Zoo

Juliana Pigs' intelligence, along with their easy-going temperament and ability to get along with other animals and people, make them great ambassador animals allowing the public to get close and interact with a pig.

They also have an excellent sense of smell. A pig’s nose ends in a floating disk of cartilage attached to muscles, which makes it more sensitive than the human nose. The nose is also strengthened by a pre-nasal bone, which enhances the nose as a digging tool. Pigs are often trained for truffle & mushroom hunting, as well as recently used for law enforcement searches.

Domestic populations of pigs are stable, but some wild populations are endangered. Pigs in general are native to Europe and Asia, but were later introduced as domesticated animals and can now be found throughout the world.

Juliana Pigs (Sus domesticus) are a breed of domestic pig that originated in Europe through selective breeding of various types of pigs. Humans have been raising pigs for more than 9,000 years.

A mature Juliana Pig will weigh between 20-40lbs and be between 10-16" tall. This species does 95% percent of its growing during the first year and is considered an adult at two years. Juliana Pigs more closely resemble a small version of a feral pig than it does the Pot Belly pig.

A rare Malayan Tapir has been born at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Edinburgh Zoo. The male calf was born to mum, Sayang, and dad, Mowgli, late on January 31.

The birth is the latest chapter in the charity’s success story with this endangered species, with the Zoo having welcomed eight Tapir calves since 2007.

Photo Credit: RZSS/Jon Paul Orsi

Malayan Tapirs are increasingly threatened in the wild by habitat loss and hunting, so the European conservation-breeding programme plays a key role in protecting the species from extinction.

Jonny Appleyard, team leader for hoofstock at Edinburgh Zoo, said, “Malayan Tapir populations in the wild are continuing to decline, so all births are incredibly valuable to the breeding programme and we’re really excited about our latest arrival.”

“At the moment he is staying very close to mum, Sayang, but will soon find his feet and start to follow her outside.”

Baby Tapirs are born with brown and white fur, which helps to provide camouflage in their natural rainforest habitats, and they develop the black-and-white adult colouration after a few months.

The baby Tapir was named with the help of the public. Votes were cast from a shortlist put together by RZSS patrons. Almost 9,000 people voted. With an impressive 4,263 votes, the winning name was…Megat (a name with royal significance in Malaysia).

Over a 10-week period, from November 20, 2018, through January 30, 2019, eleven calves from six different ungulate species were born at the Saint Louis Zoo!

The new calves— three Speke’s Gazelles, two Addaxes, a Soemmerring’s Gazelle, a Grevy’s Zebra, two Lesser Kudus and two Lowland Nyalas — are healthy and have been bonding with their mothers behind the scenes at Red Rocks.

New zebra foal, Nova, and her mom can be seen in their habitat, weather permitting.

Photo Credits: Saint Louis Zoo /Speke’s Gazelle Calves (Images 1-3), Addax Calves (4-5), Soemmerring’s Gazelle (6), Grevy’s Zebra foal (7), Lesser Kudu calves (8-9), Lowland Nyala calves (10-11)

These important births were recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plans (SSP), which are responsible for maintaining genetically healthy populations of these ungulate species in North American zoos.

Five of these SSPs are coordinated by Zoo staff. The Saint Louis Zoo’s WildCare Institute Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa and Saharan Wildlife Recovery Center supports conservation of unique species in Africa.

More great pics below the fold!