A baby camel was born this morning (February 22nd, 2022) in Germany’s Allwetterzoo. Mama Shaya and the calf are doing well. Both survived the birth without any problems. They will now rest in the stable for a few days and be able to sniff each other in a relaxed manner. In addition, Allwetterzoo animal care staff can observe undisturbed whether the new addition is drinking properly from the mother. Tomorrow the team of veterinarians will also stop by and maybe tell officials whether the little bactrian camel is healthy, especially whether it is a male or a female. Stay Tuned!

This year, Allwetterzoo Münster has successfully bred nearly 200 juvenile turtle species from nearing extinction.

For 15 years, Münster Zoo has been committed to protecting severely threatened species of Asian turtles. Some of the species they have bred this year are among the world's 25 most endangered turtles. Among them is the Zhou's Box Turtle, whose survival has been secured by the assistance of Münster.

The Zhou's Box Turtle (Cuora zhoui) has not been found in nature, and the 140 individuals of the species that are known are currently in human hands. Münster helped increase that number with their 80 hatchlings.

Photo Credits: Münster Zoo /Image 1: Zhou's Box Turtle (Cuora zhoui)/ Image 2: Sulawesi Forest Turtle (Leucocephalon yuwonoi)/ Image 3: McCord's Box Turtle (Cuora mccordi)

The same measure of success also applies to the Sulawesi Forest Turtle (Leucocephalon yuwonoi), which is close to extinction. The species is hardly kept in zoos, but there has been an increase of hatchlings due to the help of the International Center for Turtle Conservation (IZS). The IZS was founded as a cooperative project about 15 years ago between Elmar Meier (ZGAP) and Allwetterzoo. The project's success is based primarily on the volunteer work of Ingrid and Elmar Meier who have guided "turtles station" for 15 years. Today, the station is home to numerous endangered Asian turtle species. The goal is to build stable "ex situ" populations of species and, with improved safety conditions in the future and reintroduce the animals in the countries of origin.

The zoo also saw the hatching of ten McCord's Box Turtles (Cuora mccordi), a type that is probably extinct in the wild as less than 1,000 individuals are now only known to be in human hands.

The zoo provided the following chart to illustrate the exact numbers of hatchlings for the year. Allwetterzoo's website may also provide further information: www.allwetterzoo.de

About three months ago, a little Kangaroo joey at Allwetterzoo Münster lost her mother. Ralf Nacke, zookeeper, has since been foster parent to the joey, and he has lovingly devoted himself to her care.

Photo Credits: Allwetterzoo Münster 

According to zoo staff, bottle breeding does not always work with Kangaroos, particularly when the baby is transitioning from breast milk to bottle. There were initial difficulties for the joey at the Münster Zoo, but she is now developing magnificently.

The female was recently named Alinga, which is the Aboriginal word for “the sun”. Although Alinga still requires bottle-feedings and likes to spend time in Papa Ralf’s “pouch” (backpack), keepers are introducing her to solid foods and are hopeful she will one day be integrated with the other Kangaroos at the zoo.

Allwetterzoo Münster recently welcomed the birth of a Western Lowland Gorilla. The Zoo’s Gorilla keepers arrived for work on December 7 and were greeted by mom, Changa-Maidi, holding her just born infant.

The birth was a surprise for keepers. "We did not expect [the birth], especially as various tests had found no pregnancy. The nurse did however wonder about a steady weight gain in Changa." Changa-Maidi’s last offspring was Demba, who will be four-years-old in January.

Zoo staff are currently keeping their distance and allowing mom to bond with her new baby. Once the sex of the infant is determined, a name will also be given. 

Photo Credits: Allwetterzoo Münster 

Changa-Maidi was born in June 1996 at Frankfort Zoo, and she has been a resident of Münster Zoo since April of 2003. The new baby is her fourth birth. Her sons Thabo (born November 2007) and Demba (born January 2013) are also residents of Münster. The new baby’s father is 20-year-old N'Kwango, who has been at the Zoo since 2004.

The Zoo’s Gorilla troop also includes 15-year-old ShaSha and her three-year-old daughter, Jamila. ShaSha has been at the Zoo since September 2012. Her daughter Jamila was born in August 2013. N'Kwango is also the father of Jamila.

Allwetterzoo Münster’s resident Cheetah, Namoja, gave birth to a remarkable litter of seven cubs on April 28. Affectionately known by zoo staff as “The Magnificent Seven” and the “Seven Dwarfs”, Namoja’s large litter is somewhat rare. Cheetahs typically give birth to three to five cubs. 

Photo Credits: Allwetterzoo Münster

This is the second litter for Namoja and her mate, Jabari. Their first group of offspring was a litter of five male cubs, and all of the boys are now at home in other zoos, throughout Europe, as part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).  Since the 1970s, Alwetterzoo has welcomed forty Cheetah births.

The Cheetah is a large member of the family Felidae and is native to Africa and parts of Iran. It is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx. Aside from its distinctive coat pattern, the Cheetah is well known for its athletic prowess. It can run faster than any other land animal and has been clocked at speeds of 68 to 75 mph (110 to 120 km/h). The Cheetah also has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in three seconds.

Female Cheetahs reach sexual maturity in twenty to twenty-four months. Males reach maturity at around twelve months, but they do not usually mate until at least three years old. Females are not monogamous and are known to have cubs with many different mates.

Litters, of up to nine cubs, result after a gestation period of ninety to ninety-eight days, although the average litter size is four. Cubs are born with a downy underlying fur on their necks, called a mantle, extending to mid-back. The mantle gives them a mane or Mohawk-type appearance, but this fur is shed as the Cheetah matures.

Females are solitary, except when raising cubs, and tend to avoid each other, though some mother/daughter pairs have been known to remain together for small periods of time. When cubs reach about 18 months of age, the mother leaves them, and they form a sibling group that will stay together for another six months. At about two years, the female siblings leave the group, and the young males remain together for life. Life span, in the wild, is up to twelve years, and they have lived up to twenty years, in captivity.

The Cheetah is classified as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They face various threats, in the wild, including: loss of habitat and prey, conflict with humans, illegal pet trade, competition with/predation by other carnivores, and a gene pool with low variability.

More pics, below the fold!

Keepers at Allwetter Zoo, in Germany, are excited to share the birth of a Giraffe calf!  The boy was born to eight-year-old mother ‘Makena’ on December 29^th.

Photo Credits: Allwetter Zoo

After a gestation period of about 15 months, the male arrived weighing 45 kg (99 lbs.) and measuring 1.70 m (5 ½ feet) tall. This is the third calf for mother, Makena. Although he stays close to his mother, the new calf has had difficulty nursing and requires bottle feeds from zoo staff.

Zoo staff are optimistic that he will continue to grow and progress. He now happily explores his enclosure with his mother and is stronger every day.

Allwetterzoo Münster has had a very successful crop of Long-snouted Seahorses this summer. About 400 juveniles have been born since May—from just eight parental pairs! Due to the breeding success, the aquarium is almost out of space behind-the-scenes. But not to worry: the seahorses will find homes at other zoos and aquaria, once they're old enough. The little ones will grow to be about 9 inches (23 cm) in length as adults.

Seahorses are unusual among fish because mate pairs stay together for a whole breeding season, and sometimes even for life.  The male and the female each keep a small territory, and the female visits her mate in his territory every day for a 'daily greeting' that strengthens their bond. Even more unexpected, it is the male who incubates and gives birth to the young. The female uses a long tube called an ovipositor to lay her eggs in the brood pouch of her partner. He incubates them for about three weeks—the female stills comes to visit every day—and when they are ready, he releases the hatchlings into the water. The hatchlings are independent as soon as they are born, but sometimes they may cling to their father for a while for safety. This Atlantic species is typically found along the European coast, from the UK through the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Photo credits: Allwetterzoo Münster

The mini-seahorses are fed twice daily with tiny brine shrimp and copepods. During feeding times the aquarium pumps must be turned off, because it would suck in the tiny food. Once the young animals eaten enough, the pumps are turned back on, providing the necessary oxygen supply and flushing the tanks clean. Raising the all those seahorse fry is time consuming, but District Director Anke Gassner and her team are proud of the breeding success.

One and a half years ago, Jane, a 13-year-old Southern White Rhinoceros, came to the Allwetter Zoo in Münster, Germany from the Scottish Blair Drummond Safari Park and was introduced to the zoo’s bull Rhino, Harry.  The two Rhinos got along well and after a 16 month gestation, Jane delivered her first calf, a male, on May 23.






Photo Credits: Allwetter Zoo

Jane was showing signs of labor early in the morning on that day, so the staff closed the Rhino house to visitors.  To give Jane privacy, the staff watched Jane throughout the day on security cameras that were installed for this exact purpose.  The actual birth process only took about ten minutes.  Jane encouraged her newborn to stand, and he soon was nursing. 

The calf sleeps a lot, but seems to enjoy rustling in the thick bed of straw in the Rhino stall.  Jane is an excellent mother, and follows her new baby like a hawk. 

Southern White Rhinos are the most abundant of all Rhino species, but they are still threatened by poaching for their horns, which are used in traditional medicine.

See more photos of the Rhino calf below the fold.

My how they've grown! Twin Asian Golden cubs were born at Allwetter Zoo on April 7 and last Tuesday, they played and posed for the camera. Their natural beauty is evident against the pure white background.

Asiatic Golden Cats are highly threatened with extinction in the wild, so breeding them in zoos is one very important way to conserve the species. However, procreation and the successful rearing of their offspring can be tricky, so these two came into the world through artificial insemination. Click HERE for our May 3 article on this important birth, and to see their pictures as newborns.

Photo Credit: Life on White.com

Many more photos after the fold!

Namoja, Munster Zoo's female Cheetah, has her paws full with five cubs. Now nearly two months old, Namoja's quintet has been exploring Munster's outdoor exhibit since day nine. Father Jabari met Namoja in early January and the five cubs arrived just 92 days later! While First-time mom Namoja has shown excellent cub-rearing skills and a steady paw, she'll have to remain vigilant. The cubs are already adept crawlers and it won't be long before they're scampering around the entire 7,500 sq. ft. exhibit!

Photo credits: Allwetterzoo Munster