A trio of rare Northern African lion cubs have been born at Whipsnade Zoo, marking a huge conservation success for the vulnerable sub-species.  

Born to three-year-old lioness Winta, and three-year-old dad Malik, the litter of three arrived on 25 November 2024. 

Footage captured by the conservation Zoo’s ‘cub cam’ CCTV shows attentive mum Winta being  tender with her tiny newborns, carefully cleaning and nuzzling them. Keepers were happy to see the three cubs quickly get the hang of suckling, and the tiny trio have spent their first few weeks mostly eating and snoozing.  

The newly hatched chicks will be hand-reared by dedicated keepers for six weeks 

Four newly hatched flamingo chicks are being hand-reared by zookeepers at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire.  

The American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) were imported as eggs from Chester Zoo, then incubated and hatched at Whipsnade’s specialist bird nursery, as part of their involvement in the European conservation breeding programme. 

A fluffy camel calf has been born at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, for the first time in eight years. 

The baby, named Sally, was born to 12-year-old mum Izzy and four-year-old dad Oakley, in the early hours of April 11, after a 13-month pregnancy.  

Whipsnade Camel keeper George Spooner said: “Despite their reputation for being grumpy, camels are actually very patient, nurturing parents and it’s been great for us to see first-time mum Izzy attentively caring for her newborn daughter." 

A porcupine family at the UK’s largest zoo has grown from three to four, with a spiky new baby joining the prickle – with the little one starting to venture outside just in time for Mother’s Day.  

Mum Kimya, gave birth to the baby, known as a porcupette, at 3.34AM on February 13 at Whipsnade Zoo. 

Zookeepers at Whipsnade Zoo hand rear baby ‘vampire’ deer before they move to London Zoo next month 

Four three-week-old ‘vampire’ deer who measured just 12cm at birth, are being hand-reared by zookeepers at the UK’s largest conservation zoo – protecting an important population of the Vulnerable species.  

Known as vampire deer due to their set of sharp ‘fangs’, the tiny Chinese water deer weighed just over 400g when they were born - the same as a can of soft drink - and are being cared for by zookeepers around the clock to protect them from passing predators.  

An endangered Asian elephant has been born at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire  

The pitter-patter, or rather thud-thud, of baby feet can be heard at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo after an endangered baby elephant was born on Monday 22 August.  

A baby flamingo is being successfully raised by two fathers at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, after its biological parents vacated their nest. 

Zookeepers at the UK’s largest Zoo initially placed the lone American flamingo egg (Phoenicopterus ruber) in an incubator to increase its chance of survival but were keen to find ‘adopted parents’ for the egg before it hatched.  

Mother’s Day came early for Southern white rhinoceros Tuli, after zookeepers at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo prepared a heart-shaped, breakfast banquet for her and her calf, Nandi. 
 
The rhino mum and her seven-month-old calf were treated to a feast of their favourite hay and pellets, arranged in the shape of a heart, for Mother’s Day. 

LOTS MORE PHOTOS BELOW THE FOLD!

A giraffe calf takes her first steps outside as UK families head back to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo for the first time in months

A giraffe calf at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo has taken her first steps outside, just in time to greet visitors returning to the UK’s largest Zoo after it re-opened last week. 

While many people in the UK left their homes for their first family days-out of 2021, four-month-old reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) Margaret had her own first adventure outdoors last week. 

Born at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo on 8 December at the same time as the world’s first Covid-19 vaccination was being administered – the reticulated giraffe calf was named Margaret by keepers, after the first recipient Margaret Keenan. Until last week, the baby giraffe has stayed inside the warmth and familiarity of the Zoo’s giraffe house with mum Luna and their close-knit family.  

Last week, however, the young giraffe was filmed by zoo staff venturing outdoors for the first time and exploring the herd’s spacious enclosure at the 600-acre Zoo. In the footage, Margaret can be seen tentatively following her mother and other members of the herd past a lake, before striding off to explore her environment alone, ‘checking in’ with mum Luna from time-to-time. 

Team leader Mark Holden said: “Once again, Margaret seems to be capturing the mood of the nation. First, she was born – a huge boost for the population of her Endangered species - on the same day that the first Covid-19 vaccine was administered, and now, here she is, taking her first steps outside just as the rest of the UK is venturing back out on family adventures, like coming here to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. 

“With 600 acres to explore, we are the perfect place for anyone looking to blow off the cobwebs of lockdown and head into the countryside, where Margaret and the world’s most incredible animals wait to be discovered.”  

Families and animal lovers can book tickets for ZSL Whipsnade Zoo at www.zsl.org  

Four endangered Amur Tiger cubs at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo have finally taken their first steps outside.

The cubs, born June 23, were finally snapped stepping out as a family after mum, Naya, spent several days carrying them around in her mouth, one-by-one, to help them discover their surroundings. (ZooBorns shared photos of their first outing in a July feature: “Amur Tiger Mum Takes Cubs for First Outing”)

Team leader, Donovan Glyn, said, “Seeing all four of these endangered tiger cubs out and about, playing in the grass together, is the perfect way for us to begin the summer here at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. They are just as energetic and playful as one-month-old kittens would be, and we can’t wait to watch them learn and grow under their mum and dad’s watchful eyes over the next few months.”

“Naya has been such a patient, dedicated mum, picking up each cub in her mouth, and giving them little one-on-one tours of the enclosure, to help them get to know their surroundings and build their confidence.”

Photo Credits: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

The cubs were born only 121 days after seven-year-old tigress, Naya, arrived at the UK’s largest Zoo and was introduced to male mate, Botzman, as part of the European Endangered Species breeding Programme (EEP) which works with zoos across the continent.

Donovan Glyn continued, “There are only 500 Amur Tigers left in the wild, so we are delighted to have four incredible little Amur cubs here at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. It’s great news for the breeding programme, and we know our visitors will be thrilled to see them for themselves and learn more about the importance of protecting endangered species like these.”

The Amur Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is classified as “Endangered” by the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. Thanks to the conservation efforts of organisations like ZSL (Zoological Society of London), which works with Amur Tigers in the Russian Far East, there are now an estimated 500 Amur Tigers left in the wild, ten times the number that were estimated to exist in the 1940s.

More pics below the fold!