For the third time in Zoo history, a Giant anteater has been born at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo. Arriving on June 15 after a 175-day gestation period, the baby weighed 4.3 pounds at nine days old, and 6.1 pounds at 23 days old on July 8. Proud parents are third time dad, E.O., and fourth time mom, Pana. The pair was brought to Connecticut’s only Zoo with the hopes of successful breeding, which occurred for the first time in 2016. Currently mother and baby are in seclusion most of the day, with brief forays into the outdoor habitat for fresh air and sunshine.

“We couldn’t be happier that our Giant anteaters Pana and E.O. are parents for the third time,” explained Zoo Director Gregg Dancho. “We encourage everyone to follow the baby’s growth and progress on our Facebook and Instagram pages until the baby is a bit larger.”

Mochilla, the pair’s first offspring, is now in residence at Alexandria Zoo in Louisiana. The second-born, Tupi, is now at the Nashville Zoo in Tennessee.

Female anteaters give birth to one offspring and the baby rides on mom’s back for the first several months of life, occasionally venturing off not too far from mom to explore its surroundings. For the first week, mom spends most of her time sleeping while bonding occurs and the baby gains strength and weight. When Pana and her baby are outside, EO will not be allowed to be in the same habitat due to the mother’s protectiveness. Pana and the baby will be outside for guests to view later this summer, alternating with EO.

The Giant anteater parents came to the Zoo from Palm Beach Zoo in Palm Beach, Florida. Both Pana and EO are twelve years old. They arrived in late May 2015 and are a highlight of the Pampas Plains habitat, which opened in August 2015. Featuring animals from the Pampas region of Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil, the exhibit represents the Zoo’s South American Adventure.

About Giant Anteaters

Giant anteaters can live up to 26 years in human care and are usually solitary animals. They weigh up to 100 pounds, and are five to seven feet long. Their home range is from southern Belize to northern Argentina and they live in grasslands, humid forests, and woodland areas. Anteaters have one of the lowest body temperatures in the animal kingdom at 91 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit and can eat up to 30,000 ants per meal in the wild. The Latin name for anteater is Vermillingua, meaning "worm tongue," which can be as long as two feet.

The male Baird's tapir calf born at Audubon Zoo on July 2, 2021, is doing well and gaining weight. Born weighing 19.4 pounds, the calf is now up to approximately 31.5 pounds and gaining almost a pound a day. Full grown Baird's tapirs can weigh up to 800 pounds.

Audubon Zoo's three-year-old Baird's tapir Ixchel has given birth to her first offspring, the result of successful breeding with Tybalt, the Zoo's four-year-old male Baird's tapir. Ixchel's male calf was born on July 2, 2021.

Ixchel came to Audubon Zoo from Franklin Park Zoo in 2019 as part of an Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan recommendation to breed with Tybalt, who arrived at Audubon in 2018 from Nashville Zoo. Species Survival Plans are collaborative conservation efforts among AZA-accredited institutions that recommend breeding based on genetic compatibility.

The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center’s ability to bring back the world’s rarest crane species. Now, over a year since the pandemic began, Audubon is making a major comeback raising cranes with seven whooping crane chicks currently being reared at its Species Survival Center.

Five abandoned eggs originated from the eastern migratory population in Wisconsin, one egg from the International Crane Foundation in Wisconsin, and one egg was the result of artificial insemination at the Species Survival Center.

Six of the chicks are being costume-reared by Audubon staff, while one chick is being parent-reared by its mother and “stepfather,” as this chick was produced via artificial insemination. Audubon staff costume-rear chicks by dressing up as whooping cranes, keeping their true human appearance cloaked in order to ensure they do not desensitize the chicks to humans. During costume-rearing the chicks are taught how to be whooping cranes by using a whooping crane head puppet to demonstrate searching for food, looking out for predators, etc.

Indeed, it’s a baby owl monkey or night monkey, born in early March at Budapest Zoo!

These primates, native to South America,have been in the care of Budapest Zoo since the early 1990s.

They’re so comfortable in their environment they delight guests with new babies almost every year.

Born in March, this year’s little one is still being taken care of by its parents.

The infant, whose sex is still unknown, not only snuggles up to its mom, but also often lets the other team members carry it around.

Its older brother, now 11 months old is already much more independent.

This birth brings the total number of owl monkeys at the Budapest Zoo to 5.

The striped little calf was born on Monday, June 28^th.

While, typically, newborns may not be seen by the general public in the first days, the mother and the little one are expected to be released from the "maternity room" to the enclosure earlier, so with a little luck, visitors can admire them.

What’s more, the South America exhibit, home to The Zoo’s tapirs, is also broadcasted on the Budapest Zoo’s website via webcam.

The zoo’s tapir family, together with the little one just born, consists of a total of four animals.

Suki, a 22-year-old mother,  has been living in Budapest since 2009, Géza, the 25-year-old father, arrived in 2001, and their previous child, a tapir girl named Hada,

was born on the 20th of February last year.

Just in time for World Porcupine Day, June 1, Nashville Zoo revealed THREE PRICKLY SURPRISES!

Three cape porcupines were born at the Zoo on Sunday morning, the 27^th of June! This is Mkali & Jake's second litter of porcupettes and they're doing a great job.

The porcupettes had their first wellness check yesterday and all weighed in around 1 lb.

These three will remain behind the scenes for now but Nashville Zoo will be sure to share when you can see them! Make sure to follow the Zoo on their Social Media Channels.

Photo credit: Kate Johns

Zoo Boise, a division of Boise Parks and Recreation, is excited to announce the birth of three male baby sand cats. Proud parents Nala and Simba welcomed the kittens into the world on April 4, 2021.

This is both Nala and Simba’s first litter of kittens, these are the first sand cats ever born at Zoo Boise, and the first sand cats born in 2021 at a zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). These births are not only important for Zoo Boise, but vital for the conservation of sand cats worldwide. There are only 51 sand cats in zoos accredited by the AZA, which means Zoo Boise is currently caring for 10 percent of the total population. Nala and Simba were paired together as part of the Sand Cat Species Survival Plan, a conservation program aimed at maintaining a healthy and genetically diverse population of sand cats in order to increase their numbers.

“This is an incredibly significant birth for the entire conservation community,” said Zoo Boise Director Gene Peacock. “The babies are doing well and we look forward to introducing them to the community.”

The sand cat kittens weighed an average of 90 grams each at birth. Combined, that’s only about half a pound. Full grown sand cats weigh between three and seven and a half pounds.

Sand cats, sometimes called sand dune cats, are found in the arid deserts of Africa’s Sahara desert, the Arabian Peninsula and parts of central Asia. Even though they are very small, that doesn’t stop them from being ferocious. Sand cats are opportunistic hunters and have been known to attack and consume venomous snakes.

You can visit the sand cats at Zoo Boise’s Small Animal Kingdom. However, you most likely will not be able to see the new babies for a few more weeks because they are still in the den box. As mom Nala feels comfortable, she will slowly allow her kittens to start exploring their new exhibit.

Zoo Boise has turned the act of visiting the zoo into a conservation action. Since 2007, visits to Zoo Boise have generated more than $3 million towards the conservation of animals in the wild, redefining why we have a zoo. Zoo Boise is a division of Boise Parks and Recreation and is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, a national organization that supports excellence in animal care, conservation, education, and science.

Zoo Boise is currently open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a set number of tickets available each day to meet current group size requirements. Tickets must be reserved in advance and a timed entry process has been implemented to reduce lines and allow for physical distancing. Please note, due to the current Public Health Order in place in the City of Boise, face coverings are required when visiting the zoo. For more information regarding ticketing, other health and safety protocols and to reserve tickets, visit www.zooboise.org/online-ticketing.

One of the world’s most endangered primates has been born at Chester Zoo.

The precious youngster - a critically endangered Sumatran orangutan – has arrived to mum Emma (34), following an eight and a half month pregnancy. Dad Puluh is also aged 34.

Primate experts at the zoo say they are yet to determine the sex of the tiny newcomer, who has been clinging tightly to mum since entering the world on Saturday 19 June.

The birth is being celebrated by conservationists around the world, including in the species’ native South East Asia, where fewer than 14,000 of the great apes remain in the wild. Sumatran orangutans are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and face an extremely high risk of extinction.

The baby is first of its kind to be born at the zoo since its group of Sumatran orangutans moved back to their ‘Monsoon Forest’ home - nine months after the UK’s largest zoological building was restored to its former glory following a tragic fire in December 2019. Chester Zoo is currently the only zoo in mainland Britain which cares for Sumatran orangutans.

Claire Parry, one of the zoo’s specialist Primate Keepers, said:

“Sumatran orangutans are one of the world’s most threatened large mammals and so the safe arrival of a new baby is an incredibly special moment. Emma is an experienced mum and already she’s formed a really close bond with the little one – it’s wonderful to see her cradling it so gently.   

“The youngster is a vital boost to the international conservation breeding programme, which is working to ensure a safety-net population for these critically endangered animals within the world’s most progressive zoos. Crucially, we also hope the baby will help us to raise more awareness about the destruction of rainforests in South East Asia that is driving this magnificent species, and many others, towards extinction.”

The Sumatran orangutan is one of the world’s most endangered great apes; threatened by hunting, illegal logging and habitat loss as its rainforest home is cleared to make way for palm oil plantations.

Palm oil is a highly efficient oil that is found in more than 50% of supermarket products globally. As the demand for unsustainable palm oil intensifies, orangutans are increasingly being edged towards extinction.

A team of conservationists at Chester Zoo are working in Indonesia, alongside sustainable palm oil farms and NGOs, to help prevent further deforestation.

Nick Davis, Deputy Curator of Mammals at the zoo, added:

“For many years now our teams at the zoo have been working with palm oil suppliers in the UK, and with partners and NGOs in Indonesia, to encourage the growing of sustainable palm oil. We want there to be no further deforestation and, where palm oil plantations do already exist, we want them to include wildlife safe corridors to allow animals to move through them freely. With the help of our partners, we have also started to reconnect areas of rainforest by replanting native trees back into the ground where they once stood.

“With palm oil being such a widely used product, people power is key in turning the tide if we’re to save these charismatic animals. Like most of the products we buy, if consumers demand certified sustainable alternatives, then suppliers will quickly change their ways and practices – bringing an end to the destruction some of the most treasured ecosystems on the planet.”

The city of Chester became the world’s first Sustainable Palm Oil City after conservationists at the zoo completely revamped the supply chains of businesses in the area to only include palm oil from sustainable, deforestation-free suppliers. This included local restaurants, cafes, hotels, fast food outlets, schools and workplaces. The project is now being used a blueprint in other communities in the UK in a bid to save South East Asia’s most precious wildlife.

While winter school holidays plans across NSW have been thrown into chaos, a few Marine Keepers from Taronga Zoo Sydney have still taken to time to welcome and celebrate the month of June and spread some much-needed laughter and joy around the zoo. To mark the occasion, Taronga’s waddle of little penguins were treated to some very n-ice enrichment! Kindly donated by Sydney Fish Market, keepers created a mini winter wonderland within the little penguin's exhibit. As little penguins are found natively along the southern coastlines of Australia this isn’t something they would experience in the wild. For never actually seeing snow, keepers explained that the little penguins were quite brave, tapping their little flippers over the ice and investigating their new environment.