Monarto Zoo

Spot-foster: Australasian First for Vulnerable Little Cheetah Cubs and Their Carers

When a single Cheetah cub was born at Monarto Safari Park late in the night on Sunday 5 March, keepers were delighted but concerned.

This was just the beginning of a very spotty ‘tail’ that ended in an Australasian first for Zoos SA.

The female cub was born to seven-year-old Quella, but when particular big cat species like Cheetah give birth to one cub, called a singleton, they cannot produce enough milk to sustain their newborn.

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Oh Happy! 😍

Monarto Safari Park Keeper Laura shared this gorgeous video of the newest addition to the Chimapnzee troop snuggling with mum, Hannah.

Now two weeks old, Happy is doing really well and can be seen in the dayroom or enjoying the sunshine with Hannah, sister Hope and the rest of the troop.

To celebrate Happy's arrival Monarto officals would love it if you could bring along any old mobile phones and their chargers when you visit Monarto Safari Park and pop them in the recycling bin on the Chimpanzee platform.

The recycling of old devices helps them to raise funds for the https://www.janegoodall.org.au/ through the 'They're Calling on You' campaign. 🐾

#thewildiscalling


Giraffe Calf Arrives At Adelaide Zoo

Adelaide Zoo has a new long-legged arrival! 

Yesterday (January 4th), Monarto Safari Park welcomed its fifth calf within a year to 17-year-old Thula.

While initial signs of bonding between mum and bub were promising, it was apparent this morning that the calf had not been fed by his mum and the decision was made to hand raise the calf at Adelaide Zoo.

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Dr Jane Goodall Sends Happy Message Of Hope To Announce Chimpanzee Birth

Monarto Safari Park is pant-hooting with excitement with the arrival of a baby Chimpanzee just in time for Christmas.

28-year-old Chimpanzee, Hannah, gave birth to a healthy boy overnight on 20 December into early 21 December.

The announcement was made in an extremely special video message from world-renowned ethologist Dr Jane Goodall DBE. 

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Hyena Cub In ‘Tip-Spot’ Shape

Monarto Safari Park’s Spotted Hyena cub has had its first health check, with veterinary staff and keepers delighted the little one is in ‘tip-spot’ shape.

The two-month-old cub was carefully removed from its den to be weighed, examined, vaccinated and microchipped at the end of October. A small skin DNA sample was also taken and sent to Serengeti Hyena Research Group in Berlin to determine the cub’s sex.

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Spotted! Little Hyena Cub Joins The Clan

Who could resist that little face? An adorable little chocolate-brown cub has joined the Spotted Hyena clan at Monarto Safari Park.

Born at the end of August, keepers have been monitoring the clan while allowing time for the little one to bond with mum, 14-year-old Forest and dad 19-year-old Gamba.

Spotted Hyena cubs are born with a black or brown coat, a full set of teeth and their eyes open.

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Joey Joy For National Bilby Day

Today is National Bilby Day and we’re bouncing with excitement to share that an adorable set of Greater Bilby joey twins has been born at Monarto Safari Park.

The three-month-old duo, a male and female, have been snuggled up in pouch of mum, three-year-old Lisa, until last week.

Assistant Curator Tom Hurley said the floppy-eared pair are now out and about exploring the new world around them – just in time for their species’ national day.

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Five Lion Cubs’ Birth Caught On Den Camera at Monarto Safari Park!

Monarto Safari Park in Australia has some pawsome news! Five African lion cubs have been born to African Lioness Husani. 🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁

The cubs arrived late on Monday night into Tuesday morning with Husani inside the birthing den at Monarto Safari Park.

A 'den cam' captured the moment of each arrival with the firstborn getting a ride on mum's tail!

It will be a while before the cubs are out and about in exhibit as for now they are left to bond with mum and fill their tums with milk. 🍼

Keeping staff, everyone at Zoos SA and YOU will be over the moon - Husani and her fab five will, in the not too distant future, enjoy roaming in hectares of plains – safe and sound with the rest of the pride. However, lions in their native Africa face a very different future with their population decreasing due to indiscriminate killing, habitat loss, and trophy hunting.

It is therefore imperative that breeding programs like the one at Monarto Safari Park exist – they are pivotal to securing the future of this beautiful species.


Spotted Hyena Twins Born at Monarto Zoo

2_Hyena Cub 2 12th Nov 2017 - credit Adrian Mann  Zoos SA (2)

Two adorable faces have joined Monarto Zoo’s Spotted Hyena clan. Twins were born on September 13 to first-time parents Thandi and Piltengi.

Carnivore Keeper, Rachel Robbins, said the little cubs were thriving under the careful watch of doting first-time mum Thandi.

“Thandi is doing incredibly well as a first-time mum,” Rachel said. “Due to their unique reproductive anatomy, first-time Hyena mums have a very high chance of something going wrong during birth, and a high percentage of first-time mothers in the wild die, so it’s incredible to see Thandi successfully rearing two cubs.”

Rachel continued, “It’s also really exciting to see Piltengi father his first cubs, as he has wild parentage which provides incredibly valuable genetics for the region.”

1_Hyena Cub 2 12th Nov 2017 - credit Adrian Mann  Zoos SA (1)

3_Monarto Zoo Spotted Hyena cubs health check  credit Geoff Brooks  Zoos SA (18)Photo Credits: Adrian Mann

The cubs are currently spending most of their time in a private habitat with their parents and grandma, Kigali. Keepers expect they will be ready for their big public debut in a few months, once they become more confident.

“The cubs are still quite shy, sticking close to mum and their den, but every day they grow a little more confident,” Rachel Robbins said. “For now, the best time to catch a glimpse of the youngsters is during our ‘Lions at Bedtime’ tour.”

As a conservation charity that exists to save species from extinction, Monarto Zoo is proud to have bred a total of ten Spotted Hyena. The newest little cubs will act as ambassadors for their species, educating Australians about the plight of their wild cousins.

The Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta), also known as the Laughing Hyena, is a species currently classed as the sole member of the genus Crocuta. It is native to Sub-Saharan Africa and is currently listed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN. The Spotted Hyena has a widespread range and large numbers, estimated between 27,000 and 47,000 individuals, however, the species is experiencing declines outside of protected areas due to habitat loss and poaching.

Hyenas can sometimes be a misunderstood species, but, in fact, they are excellent hunters with a success rate of up to 95 per cent, are extremely intelligent and have wonderful characters.

Research has proven Hyenas to be excellent problem solvers, sometimes even out-performing great apes in problem solving tests.