The short-tailed pangolin pup born at Prague Zoo is gaining weight. The breeders, in consultation with the Taipei Zoo, resorted to supplementary feeding after it was confirmed that the female Run Hou Tang did not have enough breast milk. The little female readily accepts the replacement food, so now the first pangolin born in Europe is gaining weight every day.

"The 12-day-old pangolin baby makes us happy mainly because of how tough it is. Run Hou Tang's maternal care is also amazing. She puts the baby on her belly and if it moves away from her even a little, she immediately wakes up and guides her back to the warm nest," says breeder David Vala. In addition to regular feeding and weighing, he monitors the events in the nest practically continuously on cameras. "We are cautiously very optimistic, but it is far from won. Careful monitoring and consultation with colleagues from Taiwan are the order of the day."

It was born before four o'clock in the morning, weighs 135 grams and resembles a living spruce cone. The first Pangolin pup to come into the world not only at Prague Zoo, but throughout Europe.

"We are very happy, but at the same time we realize that the next days may be critical," warns Prague Zoo director Miroslav Bobek.  "However, the female Run Hou Tang, which we received from Taipei Zoo, has already successfully bred the cub, so the chances of survival of the cub should be quite high."

He was born on September 7, 2022, got his name on January 7 and is now the 7th baby for Prague Zoo’s female Talula (his dad is named Benji).

Meet Geoffroy's spider monkey Tiko! The little male was named by naturalist and Government Commissioner for Biodiversity Negotiations doc. RNDr. Ladislav Miko, Ph.D.

Only three zoos in Europe have this Mexican subspecies of spider monkey in care. Prague Zoo currently breeds the largest group in Europe and has kept them since 2005.

You can visit Tiko in the Zoo’s Monkey Islands exhibition complex.

The fourth silvery gibbon infant in the Czech Republic’s history was born at the Prague Zoo on Saturday night. After a seven-month pregnancy, the baby was born to caring mom Alang Alang, while dad Flip supervises the rest of the family. It is estimated that less than 2,000 adults of this rare primate occur in the wild.

The Prague Zoo is thrilled to announce it has successfully bred a Pesquet’s parrot, a first for any zoo in continental Europe. The birth also marks a rare achievement for zoos all around the world. The chick, who was bred behind the scenes, is about two months old and requires hand-feeding by keepers around the clock (about every five hours!). The Pesquet's parrot’s (also known as the Dracula parrot) diet consists mostly of fruit. This is actually the reason their heads are mostly featherless – and thus they can avoid getting their feathers covered in sticky fruit juices.

The Pesquet's parrot’s range is the rainforests of the lower parts of the New Guinea Highlands. Here natives hunt it for its red feathers, which they use for decorating headdresses.

A young Sumatran orangutan was born on Tuesday, November 17 - only the third in the history of the Prague Zoo! They don't know the sex of the baby yet, but the good news is that mom Mawar feeds and takes good care of her infant regularly. Aside from Father Pagy, the newborn baby is the only descendant of orangutans who came to the zoo from the forests of Sumatra.  The child is therefore genetically extremely valuable to the conservation of the species.

Video: Miroslav Bobek

Find more from Zoo Praha:

Web - https://www.zoopraha.cz

Facebook - http://facebook.com/zoopraha

Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/zoopraha

Twitter - http://twitter.com/zoo_praha

Prague Zoo announced that visitors might be able to catch a glimpse of the zoo’s new baby Aardvark. The cub was born on April 22 and will now be on-exhibit, with mom, for a few hours each day.

Photo Credits: Prague Zoo

The Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal that is native to Africa. Elephant Shrews, Hyraxes, and Elephants are among the closest living relatives of the Aardvark.

It has a long pig-like snout, which is used to sniff out food. It is a nocturnal feeder and subsists mainly on ants and termites, which it will dig out of their hills using its sharp claws and powerful legs.

The Aardvark also digs to create burrows in which to live and rear its young.

After a gestation of about seven months, females generally give birth to one cub. At around nine weeks of age, the youngster is able to leave the burrow to accompany mother in search of food.

Although they are not considered common anywhere in Africa, their large range allows them to maintain sufficient numbers. The IUCN currently classifies the Aardvark as “Least Concern”; however, they are a species in a precarious situation. Since they are so dependent on such a specific food source, if a problem arises with the population of termites, the species as a whole would be affected drastically.

Two Critically Endangered Malayan Tiger cubs at the Prague Zoo are beginning to show their personalities.

The cubs – one male and one female – were born on October 3 and only recently came out of the den with their mother, Banya. The animal care team chose the name Bulan for the male and Wanita for the female.

Photo Credit: Prague Zoo

From the start, Wanita was smaller than her brother. She experienced some health problems shortly after birth and has since recovered completely, but Wanita has yet to catch up with her brother’s growth.

Bulan currently weighs 17.5 pounds, and Wanita weighs 13.1 pounds. But keepers say that Wanita makes up for her smaller size with a big personality. Feisty little Wanita is not afraid of anything, while Bulan is more timid. Plus, Wanita has figured out how to roar properly!

Both cubs are healthy and active, and have begun tasting bits of meat in addition to nursing from Banya. They are hugely important to the global effort to save this rare Cat species from extinction. Experts say only 250-340 Malayan Tigers remain in the wild – a precariously low number – and only about 200 are of breeding age. They inhabit only the Malay peninsula in Southeast Asia.

Fragmentation of habitat is a major threat to Malayan Tigers, as is illegal poaching for use of body parts in traditional Asian medicine.

See more photos of Wanita and Bulan below.

Five Cheetah cubs born May 15 at Prague Zoo are growing up fast!  We introduced you to these fluffy quintuplets on ZooBorns back in June and the cubs are now thriving under the care of their six-year-old mother, Savannah.

The cubs are still behind the scenes at the zoo, but should move into their exhibit yard later this summer.

Photo Credit: Prague Zoo

Cheetah cubs remain with their mother for one to one-and-a-half years, and they are weaned at three to six months. The cubs spend a lot of time napping and playing. Play helps the cubs develop agility, as well as hone their chase and attack behaviors.  

Every cub born under human care is important to the future of Cheetahs as a species. They are listed as Vulnerable to Extinction on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Fewer than 7,000 Cheetahs remain in eastern and southern Africa. Threats include conflict with humans, shrinking wild areas as farms and cities expand, and illegal trafficking in body parts. 

As a population, Cheetahs have very low genetic diversity, a possible cause of their low reproductive rates. Current conservation measures include cooperative programs across all countries in which wild Cheetahs are found.

Related articles

Record 51 Tasmanian Devils Born at Devil Ark - ZooBorns

Tree Kangaroo Joey Boosts Endangered Species - ZooBorns

Two Rhinos Born Days Apart at Chester Zoo - ZooBorns

The Czech Republic’s Prague Zoo welcomed a litter of five Cheetah cubs on May 15.

Mother Savannah, age 6, is caring for her quintuplets behind the scenes. The litter includes three male and two female cubs. The family is expected to move into their viewing habitat later this summer.

Photo Credit: Prague Zoo

Well known as the world’s fastest land animals, Cheetahs are skilled hunters. Their bodies are built for efficient sprinting. Reaching speeds of up to 70 mph, Cheetahs can run down even the fastest of prey. However, they maintain these high speeds for only a minute or two, then give up the chase. Cheetahs are successful in about half of their hunts.

Depending on where they live, Cheetahs target small Gazelles or the young of larger Antelope species when hunting. Prey is taken down with a swat of the dewclaw or a bite to the neck.

Cheetahs are in steep decline in the wild. Found only in Africa and a small part of Iran, fewer than 7,000 wild Cheetahs remain.  As farms and cities expand, Cheetahs’ home ranges are reduced. Due to a genetic bottleneck in the population during the Ice Age, all Cheetahs exhibit genetic similarity. This can lead to reproductive problems and low birth rates, especially when Cheetahs are under human care. Some zoos have found success breeding these Cats by keeping them in large groups, rather than individual pairs.

Currently, Cheetahs are classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, but conservationists have called for reclassifying Cheetahs as Endangered. Most of the African countries where Cheetahs live have created action plans for protecting these majestic Cats.

Related articles

Pygmy Hippo Calf Gets in the Swim

Rare Litter of Cheetahs Born at Allwetterzoo Münster

Lion Cubs Show Their Playful Side