In the birdhouse of Schönbrunn Zoo, sloths are undoubtedly the big favorites among the audience. Those who visit them tomorrow, on the occasion of Sloth Day, will experience a small furry surprise. "For the 13th time, we have had offspring among our sloths. A young one was born on August 20th. Initially, it was hidden in the protective fur of the mother, but by now, you can observe the little one well," announces Simone Haderthauer, zoological department head, with joy. The young one lies on its mother like in a hammock. It will only start hanging independently on branches at about six months old.

Photos by Daniel Zupanc

Not only are we happy about the spring-like temperatures, but also the orangutans at Zoo Vienna. When the weather is sunny, the apes can immediately conquer their outdoor enclosure again. Two years ago it was completely redesigned and transformed into a climbing paradise with additional trees, ropes and nests as resting places. The nine-month-old cub is still curiously discovering everything from the back of its mother. "Everything is new, our orangutan girl is still careful. In the indoor area, the little one is already climbing around on her own. In a few weeks she will also dare to do this in the outdoor enclosure," says district manager Sandra Keiblinger. Young orangutans can only keep up with adults when they are two to three years old.

In the 270th anniversary year, the Schönbrunn Zoo was able to look forward to numerous special offspring. In addition to the arctic wolves, the capybaras and the zebras, the king and rockhopper penguins and the maned seals also provided for offspring. Even the extremely rare Mhorr gazelle, which is threatened with extinction, had two young in 2022. “Two more squirrel monkeys were born in the last few weeks – so they are our latest offspring. Our breeding highlights of the year are certainly the young orangutans, giraffes and now, once again, the koalas," says zoo director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck.

There are offspring among the king penguins again this year. A chick hatched in Schönbrunn Zoo at the end of July. So far, the young animal has cleverly hidden between the protective parents, but now it is easy for visitors to see in the polarium. “However, the penguin chick cannot swim yet. King penguins don't get water-repellent plumage until they are about 10 months old. Until then, they wear a warm, brown dune dress. The sex of the chick is only determined at a later point in time by genetic testing of feather samples,” reports animal keeper Bettina Schragner.

On July 15, a male South American Sea Lion pup was born at Schönbrunn Zoo after a gestation period of almost a year. Young South American Sea Lions can swim and dive from birth. The offspring have already made their first swimming attempts together with the group - always at the side of their mother, who takes good care of them. “Sea lions are excellent swimmers and can dive underwater for up to 15 minutes. For the little one, it's all still a bit exhausting, so they sleep a lot now. He is suckled by his mother for the first 6-8 months, only then do sea fish such as herring, mackerel or sprat appear on his menu. As an adult seal, it will eat around six kilos of fish or even more per day. However, it will be a few years before the young male has reached his father's impressive weight of over 300 kg," reports Zoological Department Head Folko Balfanz.

In case you missed it, Zoo Vienna welcomed the arrival of a baby Orangutan on June 19th. She has since been integrated into the troupe.

We are now sharing a compiled clip which features Zoo staff interviews and visual highlights. The infant has been named Kendari, after the Indonesian City.

Below are links to the raw videos we already released. This compilation is made from two shorter clips. The first part, announcing the birth, was translated by Franziska Graumann. The second, announcing baby‘s name, was translated by automated assistance.

Raw Birth Announcement Clip

https://youtu.be/uIwq4rKCLzc

Raw Naming Announcement Clip

https://youtu.be/U5aDDb3_jaw

For the third time in a row, Schönbrunn Zoo can look forward to two offspring of white-nosed coatis this year. In mid-May, the two cubs were born blind and deaf and were nursed and cared for by their mother in the nest for the first few weeks. “Meanwhile, the approximately six-week-old twins, a male and a female, have left their safe nest and are out and about throughout the indoor facility. The two currently spend most of the day sleeping snuggled up to their mother," reports animal keeper Michaela Hoffmann.

The female orangutan born on June 19th at Schönbrunn Zoo has been named “Kendari”. After internal considerations, they finally decided together on the name of an Indonesian city. Indonesia is the original home of the orangutans, where these special animals have now been almost wiped out due to deforestation and illegal trade. “We are very happy that the young animal is developing so well and that we have found a name. Kendari is getting bigger and stronger every day. She is already raising her head and slowly starting to perceive her surroundings with wide eyes. Everything is always in the protective arms of mother animal Sari”, says animal keeper Sandra Keiblinger.

In the last weeks of spring, a total of six Rockhopper penguin chicks have hatched. You can now see the offspring in the "kindergarten" of the Polarium. Twice a day, the young birds are fed with fish and their weight is constantly monitored. Each chick squeezes up to 20 small herring and sprats per day. "They already weigh around one and a half kilograms. Their weight gain is ensured by our keepers so that the young animals can develop healthily. The chicks are still wearing a dune dress that is not water-repellent. Therefore, their enclosure has no access to the water basin. Only when they have the first moult behind them, swimming attempts are dared. Then they come back to the group, because even in the wild they live together in large breeding colonies," reports Zoo Director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck.

The kid season has already begun for the pied goats called Tauernscheckenziegen and it is almost over. Only one goat is still expecting. The kids are all well and very agile. They already try to climb rocks and tree trunks and savor the first rays of sun.

 
This goat breed serves multiple purposes. Their claws are very sturdy which is ideal for alpine landscape management. Their udders are very high to minimize the risk of injury. They are very long-living and robust and please with their unique and attractive coat which makes them easily recognizable on alpine pastures during the summer and fall.