A rare Rothschild’s giraffe was born to mum Orla at 3am on 3 March 2021, at the UK’s Chester Zoo.
The “little” guy has been named after Lake Albert in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, where Chester Zoo is helping to protect Rothschild's giraffes just like him.
Once wide-ranging across Kenya, Uganda and Sudan, the Rothschild’s giraffe has been almost eliminated from these areas and now only survives in a few small, isolated populations.
Encouragingly, they are starting to recover with the support of conservation programmes such as those supported by Chester Zoo but they’re still threatened with habitat loss and an ongoing poaching crisis, which has seen giraffes hunted for their tails to be used as good-luck charms.
Working with The Giraffe Conservation Foundation and Uganda Wildlife Authority to monitor, track and protect the giraffe population in Uganda’s Kidepo Valley National Park, Chester Zoo is delighted that even with the challenges the pandemic has thrown their way, numbers are slowly increasing. It’s positive news and they must push on and do all they can to help prevent the extinction of these gentle giants.
Taronga's ridiculously cute tree kangaroo joey 'Taro' has finally decided to fully emerge from his mother's pouch. At 10 months old and weighing just under 2kg, the little late bloomer was a touch hesitant in venturing out of his mum Kwikal's pouch earning himself the nickname 'pouch potato'.
Taking inspiration from the joey's nickname, keepers have settled on the name 'Taro' for the youngster, which is a form of sweet root vegetable, one of his favourite treats popular in his native homeland of Papua New Guinea.
Taro has become incredibly active and confident over the last couple of weeks. Guests will have the opportunity of witnessing Taro exploring and attempting to climb to the tops of trees in the final days of the school holidays.
Guests can also take advantage of their “Dine and Discover” vouchers and receive $25 off the purchase of their Zoo ticket and animal encounters as well as $25 off any food and beverage purchase. To find out more and book your tickets, please head to www.taronga.org.au/buy-tickets
A male western lowland gorilla was born at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens early Friday morning. This is the fifth gorilla born at the Zoo, and the first since 2018.
The male was born to mother Madini and father Lash. This is the third viable offspring for 44-year-old Lash and the second for 24-year-old Madini. Her daughter, Patty, still resides at the Zoo and will be 6 years old on May 9.
Madini and Lash were recommended to breed by the Gorilla Species Survival Plan (SSP). This group of zoo professionals cooperatively manages the gorilla population at zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). They are responsible for making science-based breeding and transfer recommendations as well as providing support and guidance on all aspects of gorilla management at AZA institutions to maintain a healthy, diverse, and sustainable safety-net population to enhance conservation of this species in the wild.
Madini was born in 1996 to mother Bulera, and they both were transferred to Jacksonville in November 2006. Lash was born on Christmas Day in 1976, and he moved to Jacksonville in 1998. He lived in a bachelor group with Rumpel for eight years before being introduced to Madini and Bulera.
This infant is now the ninth member of the largest gorilla group in the Zoo’s history. This includes the last infant to be born, 2-year-old Gandai, who was reared by keepers after her deaf birth mother, Kumbuka, could not properly care for her. After five months of bottle feeding and teaching her how to be a gorilla, keepers introduced her to a surrogate mother, Bulera. Since then, the mother and daughter have been slowly reintroduced to surrogate father, Rumpel; surrogate brother, George; surrogate sister, Madini; Madini's daughter, Patty; and ultimately her biological mother, Kumbuka, and biological father, Lash.
“We have many reasons to celebrate this new infant. He will further enrich the social environment and experience of his amazing group and strengthen the sustainability of the Gorilla SSP. Although raising Gandai was an incredibly rewarding experience, the gorilla care staff is elated to see this infant thriving in the care of his own mother,” said Tracy Fenn, Assistant Curator of Mammals.
Western lowland gorillas are the most widespread of the gorilla subspecies inhabiting forests and swampland of central Africa, however the subspecies is critically endangered due to deforestation, poaching, and introduced diseases. Mature male gorillas, or “Silverbacks” are much larger than females. Infants usually weigh around four pounds at birth and are dependent on their mothers for up to five years.
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens will be raising awareness of species like the western lowland gorilla at Party for the Planet on Saturday, April 24. This event is presented by The Wild Things, a young professional group at the Zoo, and is a celebration of Earth Day, Endangered Species Day, and World Oceans Day. Guests are encouraged to donate old cell phones to help save gorilla species in the wild. Visit JacksonvilleZoo.org/PartyForThePlanet for more info.
About Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
For over 100 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has aimed to inspire the discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experiences in a caring environment. Starting in 1914 with an animal collection of one red deer fawn, the Zoo now has more than 2,000 rare and exotic animals and 1,000 species of plants, boasting the largest botanical garden in Northeast Florida. The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is a nonprofit organization and a portion of every ticket sold goes to the over 45 conservation initiatives Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens supports around the world, and here in NE Florida. JZG is proud to be an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. For more information, visit jacksonvillezoo.org.
The penguin colony at Shedd Aquarium has begun its annual nesting season, which provides a unique peek into their lifecycle as the Magellanic and rockhopper penguins begin building their nests, attracting mates, and pairing up. The weeks-long nest-building process is signaled by changes in the daily light cycle and the addition of materials like lavender sprigs and rocks to the habitat for the birds to gather for their nests.
Occasionally, nesting results in eggs laid and potentially hatched, where the bonded penguin pair would take turns sitting on the nests to keep the eggs or chicks warm. It is expected that eggs may start to be seen throughout April and May. While not every egg laid by the penguins is fertile, last year, four Magellanic chicks – Porter, Popi, Dee, and Sir Elio – joined the penguin colony following the nesting and mating season. The four new arrivals contribute to Shedd’s participation in a conservation effort among aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in a cooperatively managed Species Survival Plan for Magellanic penguins, which are listed as nearly threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
While the penguins may have gone “offline” from programs like the virtual penguin encounter for their nesting season, guests who visit Shedd Aquarium can observe the birds in the colony and get an up-close look at this season. For anyone unable to visit or looking for a deeper connection to the aquatic animal world, there are still several virtual animal encounters offered through May 31, 2021.
By purchasing a ticket or participating in a program, you are helping to support Shedd Aquarium’s mission and dedication to top-quality animal care. For additional ways to support Shedd Aquarium and help fuel its mission, please visit https://www.sheddaquarium.org/about-shedd/support-us.
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Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit pup photo credit: Oregon Zoo
Taronga Zoo Sydney is celebrating the birth of a critically endangered male François’ Langur, one of the world’s rarest monkey species, who has arrived just in time to delight guests these school holidays. At just over three weeks old, the adorable new arrival is doing well and has been named Manchu by his Primate Keepers – which means pure in a local Chinese dialect.
Like all François’ Langur babies, the little one was born with vibrant orange fur, an incredible contrast to his mother Meli and the rest of the troop who are all black in colouring. It is believed that colour distinction makes it easier for adults to identify and look out for infants.
“It is not uncommon in François’ Langur communities for other female monkeys to lend a hand raising infants. This is known as allomothering, and it lets mum have a break but also benefits the development of the infant as they are exposed to experienced members of the troupe,” says Primate Supervisor Mel Shipway.
“François’ Langur babies develop quite quickly, and we have already witnessed Manchu attempt to climb and move independently from mum. He is also starting to show patches of black fur across his body and some white stripes on his face, so we aren’t too sure how long he will be orange in colour, all infants develop at different rates”, says Shipway.
“Langurs are lesser-known species of monkey, but they are beautiful and vibrant creatures, we would love guests to come see this adorable new addition to the Taronga's primate family” says Shipway
The birth of Manchu brings the total number of Langurs at Taronga Zoo to 11. While the monkeys can be lightening fast as they move through the exhibit, the group are fed daily at 9.30 am, 12 pm and 2.45 pm which make great viewing times.
François’ Langurs are a critically endangered species found in China and Vietnam and continue to be heavily poached for traditional medicines and face habitat loss through mining and deforestation.
With an estimate of only around 1,500 individuals left in the wild, this species like many other primates are in trouble. The birth of this male at Taronga is great news for François Langurs, as he will be an incredible ambassador for his species and wild relatives.
Manchu joins many new arrivals these Easter School Holidays including Birubi the Long-nosed fur seal pup, Humphrey the koala joey, a Tree Kangaroo joey, seven Bolivian Squirrel Monkeys and of course Amalie an Australian sea lion pup!
Guests can also take advantage of their “Dine and Discover” vouchers and receive $25 off the purchase of their Zoo ticket and animal encounters as well as $25 off any food and beverage purchase. To find out more and book your tickets, please head to www.taronga.org.au/buy-tickets
On Sunday, April 4, 2021, a healthy white rhinoceros calf was born at Royal Burgers’ Zoo in Arnem, The Netherlands. The male is the fourth offspring for this experienced mother and was born at 7:44 am on Easter Sunday. Burgers’ Zoo has been particularly successful in breeding white rhinoceroses and has ranked among the top five European Zoos for breeding them in recent years.
The birth went smoothly. At birth, baby a white rhinoceros weighs an average of 50 to 60 kilos. They grow very fast during the first days of life, its body weight increasing by 1.5 to 2 kg a day.
The calf’s 17-year-old mother traveled from Kolmarden, Sweden to Arnhem in 2013. In Sweden, the then young female was still living alongside her mother, which most likely explains why she failed to reproduce there. Biologists see this more often in white rhinoceroses.
Please check out Burgers’ Zoo’s channel for more great videos!
Yesterday, Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Biology Institute celebrated their cheetah cubs’ first birthdays!
On April 8, 2020, female cheetah Echo gave birth to four healthy cubs.
The birth was livestreamed on the Zoo’s website.
Cheetah Biologist Adrienne Croiser said of the past year, “I hope you learned a lot about cheetahs along the way.
Cheetahs face a lot of challenges in the wild, but I think that the more people can connect with and come to understand animals in a personal way, the more they feel inspired to take action and be part of the solution.”
Taronga Zoo Sydney’s three-month-old long-nosed fur seal pup Birubi made her official debut at Taronga’s Seal Bay this week, just in time for the Easter School Holidays.
Birubi was born on December 21, 2020, to first-time mum Keke and was the first long-nosed fur seal pup to be born at Taronga in over twenty years. Just over three months old, Birubi has gone from strength to strength, with her size more than doubling since birth. Guests will have the pleasure of watching her find her flippers and may even be lucky enough to witness her take her first swim as she is now officially on display at Taronga’s Seal Bay!
Although she may be pint-sized, the little pup has a very confident personality and always has, according to keepers. “She loves to follow all of us around and is so intrigued by new people and items,” says Keeper Lindsay Wright. “It has been such a pleasure to watch Keke become a mother to Birubi, it is so crucial that they continue to be advocates for their wild counterparts,” says Wright.
Before conquering the depths of Taronga’s Seal Bay, seal pups need to master a few natural behaviours, which includes learning how to swim. Thus, Birubi and mum Keke has been spending most of their time off display in Taronga’s purpose-built pupping nursery. This facility has an adjustable floor which allows keepers to lower or increase the depth of the water. This allows the pup to grow in confidence with swimming before they are exposed to deeper waters.
Like most babies, Birubi will require some downtime to rest and re-energise. The best time to see her exploring and investigating her new environment is between 9.30 am-12.30 pm at Taronga’s Seal Bay.
Birubi joins a number of new arrivals these Easter School Holidays including Humphrey the koala joey, a Tree Kangaroo joey, seven Bolivian Squirrel Monkeys and of course Amalie an Australian sea lion pup!
Guests can also take advantage of their “Dine and Discover” vouchers and receive $25 off the purchase of their Zoo ticket and animal encounters as well as $25 off any food and beverage purchase. To find out more and book your tickets, please head to www.taronga.org.au/buy-tickets
Yesterday, Zoo Miami's newest baby giraffe made his exhibit debut!
For the first time, a yet unnamed male calf that was born on April 2nd, walked out onto the exhibit with his mother and other members of the herd, curiously exploring his new surroundings. Until yesterday, the newborn had been held inside a holding area with his mother to give them time to bond.
On Sunday, the calf received a neonatal exam where in addition to a general physical, he was weighed, had his blood collected and received a microchip for identification. He weighed a whopping 181 pounds and is the seventh baby born to Mia, his 14 year old mother. The first-time father is a 4 year old named Malcolm. This is the 54th giraffe born in the zoo's history!
As this newborn was making his exhibit debut, Zuri, a 6 ½ year old female was giving birth behind the scenes to the 55th giraffe born in the zoo’s history! The baby, Zuri’s second, was born yesterday at approximately 10:30AM, and has been observed nursing very well. Malcolm is also the father making this his second calf. A neonatal exam was performed this morning and it is confirmed to be a healthy female weighing 119 pounds. Should everything continue to go well, this baby and mother will join the herd on exhibit tomorrow.
Giraffe have a pregnancy of approximately 15 months and the mother rarely, if ever, lies down while giving birth. The baby falls about 4-6 feet to the floor where it receives quite an abrupt introduction to the world! Newborns stand nearly 6 feet tall at birth.
The status of giraffe in the wild has recently been elevated from a “species of least concern” to “vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to significant reductions in their populations over the last several years.