Tokyo the baby Sumatran Orangutan at Zoological Center Ramat Gan is already 11 months old.

Recently she gained the courage and ability to venture away from mom and explore her surroundings. She is carefully developing her skills and strength.

She’s also starting to try solid foods.

The Sand Cats at the Zoological Center Ramat Gan are 2 year old Sabbhia and 4 year old Marib. They arrived at the zoo almost 2 years ago from France and Sweden respectively.

Officials were hoping for successful breeding of the couple, as Sand cats are not only an amazing little cat, it is also a native Israeli species that was once living in the Arava Valley in the south of Israel and went extinct. 

In the first weeks the couple kept their distance, but as time went by, the bond between them was getting tighter.

At last we can see her! About two weeks ago (July 10^th) Tana, a 12-year-old Sumatran Orangutan at The Zoological Center Ramat Gan in Israel gave birth to a sweet little baby.

For many days it was almost impossible to see the baby, as mom held her close to her body and she "disappeared" in her long ginger fur.

Now as the baby is a bit bigger and mom more confident, we can get a glimpse of the adorable baby. Now mother and baby enjoy some peace and quiet while keepers keep a close eye.

The baby's father is male Rachamim, who will be celebrating its 11^th birthday on July 31^st. He is the last Orangutan born here at the zoo to his elderly parents Rochale and Mushon.  His mother died when he was only 7 year old.

Soon after, Satu and Tana, two females, arrived from zoos in Germany to join Mushon and Rachamim at Ramat Gan to continue contributing to the Sumatran Orangutan breeding program.

Mushon did not manage to breed with the two. It may have been that he was too old. He died in 2018 at the age of 50.

As Rachamim grew older he got closer with Tana and finally we can see the sweet results of the bond between the two.

Tana is taking good care of her baby despite the fact that this is her first birth and she lacks experience. She is reluctant to get into her night chamber so the keepers throw food and water bottles for her into the exhibit. Both mother and baby look good and healthy.

During Tana's pregnancy we at the zoo experienced two major dramas:

During the last missile attacks Israel endured in May, a missile landed in the Zoo. Luckily it fell between the Orangutan exhibit and the Sulawesi Crested Macaques. One female Macaque was hit by a shrapnel in her back. She was hurried to the operation room and thankfully fully recovered. The exhibits however were damaged by the missile and had to be renovated. This month the Orangutan exhibit re-opened. That’s when the second drama took place. Tana and Mushon were very curious about the new plants in the exhibit and managed to climb and go out of the exhibit. Mushon went in when called, but Tana went up a tree with the baby. The vets were lifted to the tree top with firefighters’ assistance and managed to dart Tana and take her off the tree, back to the night chambers with the baby. That is also how the Zoo knows that the baby is a girl.

After such eventful times Ramat Gan officials are happy to see the mother and baby relaxing in the exhibit. We are delighted for this important addition to the European breeding program, as the critically endangered Orangutans really need our help!   

The baby girl still does not have a name. According to tradition, her name should start with the letter T. any ideas?

Video Credit: Yam Siton

Exciting news from the Zoological Center Ramat Gan! Rihanna the southern White Rhino has given birth for the 3rd time!

Five years after giving birth to Rami and 2 years after giving birth to Rainy-Rafiki, it's time for 11 year old Rhianna to expand the family. This time it's a boy!

The keepers have calculated a year and a half from the day they observed her mating with the male Atari and were expecting the new calf for a while.

By the morning of June 6th Rihanna was seen walking with a tiny but strong rhino calf by her side.

Rhianna is an experienced mother, but in order to keep her and the calf safe the keepers are keeping an eye on the two all day.

Soon after the birth the mother and calf was led to a fenced area in Ramat Gan’s African Park where they can get used to one another in peace. In a few weeks, when the calf is stronger they will both be roaming the African park with the rest of the Rhinos, Hippos and the antelopes.

Southern White are endangered species.

This is the 33rd Southern White Rhino born at the Zoological Center Ramat Gan and we are excited and proud for this contribution the Rhino zoo population.   

The zoological Center Ramat Gan is a leading zoo in southern white Rhino breeding and every birth is good news for the zoo community, as keeping a viable and sustainable Rhino breeding program is crucial for Rhino conservation.

The Zoological Center Ramat Gan is dedicated to creating inspiring and respectful encounters between humans and wild animals, and to play a significant role in nature conservation and breeding programs for endangered wildlife species.

His name is Ruvi!

We have received thousands of name suggestions for new born calf.

Finally our name committee has decided on the name Ruvi in honor of the soon to be former Israeli president Reuven Rivlin. Ruvi is the president's nick name.

Video Credit goes to Shira Inbar Danin

The Zoological Center Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan recently shared their excitement about the birth of their 28^th Rhinoceros calf!

On August 24^th, Tanda, a 23-year old White Rhino, gave birth to a healthy male calf. The Safari also recently announced the name chosen for the new boy. He has been named Tupak (meaning “warrior”).

Photo Credits: Shai Ben Naftali (Images 1-8); Eren Habani (Image 9)

A few days before giving birth, keepers noted that Tanda's udders had filled out, and she began to distance herself from her two-year old daughter, Tashi. Zookeepers realized that the birth was close and took her to an open area of the Rhino’s yard, nicknamed the "nursery". This yard is shaded and pleasant, surrounded by thick shrubbery. This semi-private area enables all the Rhinos and other animals to see Tanda and smell her, but it also allows her some distance and privacy.

The birth passed uneventfully and a healthy Rhino calf entered the world, with all vital signs looking good. Tanda has been in the nursery with her baby, carefully tending to him and feeding him. Keepers put the other animals' food close to the nursery yard, so that they'll gradually get used to the new addition to the group.

This is Tanda’s fourth offspring since arriving at the Safari 13 years ago, and she is always a devoted mother. The new baby has been getting used to frequent interaction with Zookeepers, as Tanda receives routine eye treatments (necessary due to the chronic eye infection from which she suffers).

In another week or two, Tupak and mom, Tanda, will leave the nursery and join the rest of their herd in the open area of their exhibit.

During the last few years, the Safari Zoological Center Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan has become one of the leading facilities for breeding Rhinos, thanks to the weather and excellent conditions similar to those of their native habitat in Africa. The success is also due to smart decisions, taken in the last few years, regarding the management of the Safari's Rhino population.

After 17 years without a newborn in the Mandrill troop, the staff at Israel’s Ramat Gan Safari Park is celebrating the arrival of a male infant.

Photo Credit:  Tibor Jager / Ramat Gan Safari Park

Born to 12-year-old Tinkerbell, the baby is strong and healthy.  Tinkerbell is proving to be a devoted mother to the baby, who was named Tuvia (a new baby’s name always begins with the first letter of the mother’s name).

Native to tropical forests in western central Africa, Mandrills are the largest of all monkey species.  Sexual dimorphism is extremely pronounced in Mandrills.  Males are about twice as large as females and feature red, purple, and light blue skin patches on their faces and rumps.  As Tuvia grows, he will gain the bright colors of an adult male, but for now he is more drably colored like his mother.

Mandrills are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.  Major threats include deforestation and hunting for bushmeat.  Some zoo-born Mandrills have been successfully reintroduced into the wild.

See more pictures of Tuvia below.

Since so many of you loved our story about Zoological Center Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan's Sand Cat kittens yesterday, we couldn't resist sharing new pictures we received this morning.  The more recent images show the kittens a bit older and with their eyes fully open! Enjoy!

Photos by Tibor Jager

See more below the fold!

Two female Asian Elephant calves have been born at Ramat Gan Safari Park in Israel. The first female to give birth was 7.5 year-old La-Belle, on August 2. As she is a very young mother, her own mother La-Petite, heavily pregnant herself, took over and nursed the calf. After a few nerve-wracking days of 24-hour monitoring, keepers could rest assured that the calf was getting enough milk, suckling from both her mother and her grandmother alternately. The calf, born a bit small, was named Latangi which means ‘slim girl’ in the Sanskrit language. (See our first story about Latangi here.)  

After exactly two months of anticipation, a second female calf was born to 28-year-old La-Petite. This time the calf was bigger and stronger and received the Hindi name ‘Lalana’ meaning ‘a girl’. Both mothers and calves are doing great. They are spending their days in the exhibit happily, together with the father Motek. The birth of the two calves is wonderful news, especially as Asian Elephants are a unique and endangered species. 

Photo credits: Tibor Jager / Ramat Gan Safari Park

See video of the calves and mothers together:

See more photos after the fold!

When the elephant keepers at Ramat Gan Safari Park in Israel arrived on the morning of August 2, they found a newborn Asian Elephant calf. After 22 months of anticipation, it finally happened- the 7 year-old cow, La Belle, had given birth to a beautiful female. The calf has been given the Sanskrit name Latangi, meaning 'thin girl', because she was born weighing 70-80 kg, far less than the 100 kg that is usual for an Asian Elephant calf. 

For now it seems that the young calf is doing well, despite her low weight at birth. She nurses from both her mother and her grandmother. 25 year-old La Petite, La Belle's mother, is very active in the life of the newborn, and is also pregnant herself. This is La Belle's first time to give birth, and it may be that her mother is trying to show her the ropes. The pleased father is a 53 year-old male, Motek. This birth is an important occasion as Asian Elephants are an endangered species. Every calf born contributes to the conservation efforts of these animals. 

Photo credits: Ramat Gan Safari / Tibor Jager. Last picture: Yael Hermon. Clip 1: Tibor Jager. Clip 2: Yael Hermon.

See videos of the newborn calf with her family:

 

See more photos after the fold!

A tiny chick hatched at Israel’s Jerusalem Biblical Zoo and raised at the Ramat Gan Safari Park is part of an effort to restore native Griffon Vultures to Israel.

With only 100 Vultures remaining in the wild in Israel, scientists don’t want to take any chances with the precious eggs breaking or being preyed upon.  So when a pair of wild Vultures in an Israeli nature reserve laid an egg, scientists collected the egg and brought it to the Jerusalem Zoo, where it was placed in the safety of an incubator. 

Photo Credits: Sagit Horowitz (1), Michal Erez (2, 3, 4)

Meanwhile, at the Ramat Gan Safari Park, Vultures Donky and Kosta were sitting on a dummy egg, because the two eggs that they had laid earlier were removed from the nest.  Once the wild-collected egg began to hatch in the incubator at the Jerusalem Zoo, it was rushed to Ramat Gan Safari Park.

Vultures are unable to tell if a chick is theirs or not, so a brave zoo keeper entered Donky and Kosta’s enclosure, climbed up to the nesting shelf, removed the dummy egg, and replaced it with a newly hatched chick, which was still in its shell. Not an easy task when you have two protective Vultures nearby!

Father Kosta immediately returned to the nest to make sure the egg was still there after the "intruder's" visit. To his surprise, he found that a tiny chick waiting for him in the nest, begging for food. Kosta did not think twice and rushed to feed the chick

Kosta and Donkey have successfully fostered several chicks over the years.

By the age of 6 months, the chick will be taken to a nature reserve, where it will spend three years with other young Vultures until it is old enough to be released to the wild and join the wild population.