It’s pretty cold out there, so we thought we’d warm your hearts with this charming moment between Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s western lowland gorilla, ‘Yewande’, and her infant, ‘Okabe’! 🥰🦍

The littlest member of Calgary Zoo’s African crested porcupine family is now spending all its time out in the main habitat! Watch out, because this rowdy porcupette is already perfecting its mock threat displays. Raising its quills and crest while stomping about is all part of learning how to be a proper porcupine.

Can you believe it? Calgary Zoo’s #YYCGorillaBaby, 'Eyare', is 6 months old today! 🦍 Her curiosity continues to bloom and she is becoming more independent each day. Today, we’re sharing a recent milestone moment for Calgary Zoo’s troop – ‘Eyare’ playing with ‘Yewande’ on her own for the first time!

Western lowland gorillas are a social species. Each troop member has a distinct and dynamic personality, and their interactions can help to shape relationships and form bonds over time. Yewande has been very interested in Eyare since she was born but the troop takes their cues from gorilla mom, ‘Dossi’ as to what is and isn’t allowed when it comes to Eyare. 😉

In case you missed it, Wilder Institute / Calgary Zoo’s littlest troop member has a name. Her name is ‘Eyare” which means ‘treasure, gift, pride’.

At nearly two months old, zoo staff couldn’t be happier with Eyare's continued growth and development. In addition to her two upper incisors, she has sprouted two lower incisors! She’s also starting to pick things up and grasp other items (besides her mom, ‘Dossi’s hair!).

Dossi is starting to interact with Eyare in new and playful ways – like placing her in a sitting position or laying on her back while she holds Eyare in the air atop her feet.

Be sure you’re following #YYCGorillaBaby as we continue to share her milestone moments along the way.

A tiny porcupette was born overnight on April 11th to African crested porcupines, Caleefa and Bristle at Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.  The prickly new arrival is doing well.
 
Caleefa joined the prickle last October as a Species Survival Plan recommendation for Calgary’s porcupine brothers, Bristle and Rattle.  Caleefa was introduced to both males but it was quickly apparent that Bristle was her chosen mate as the pair settled together quickly.

Calgary, AB – The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo announced they are absolutely thrilled to share that "Dossi", the zoo’s beloved 21-year-old western lowland gorilla, gave birth to a baby early the morning of April 20, 2022. Mom and baby are doing well so far with great early mothering skills being shown by Dossi. The Animal Care, Health & Welfare team will continue to closely monitor their progression. 

The Calgary Zoo is thrilled to announce the arrival of two Greater Rhea chicks. The yet unnamed chicks emerged August 3 and 5 and are the first of their kind to hatch at the Zoo.

“Within Greater Rhea flocks, the males take on the dominant parenting role, by building nests, incubating eggs and caring for the newly hatched chicks,” says Colleen Baird, General Curator, Calgary Zoo. “Our male, Jekyll has been doing an amazing job and we are so pleased to be able to contribute to this threatened bird species.”

Photo Credits: Calgary Zoo

The Greater Rhea is flightless and the largest bird in South America. Related to the Ostrich and Emu, they are classified as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN and are part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is designed to ensure genetic diversity and safeguard a species-at-risk population.

In the wild, Rhea populations are declining due to hunting, habitat loss and fragmentation. Conservation efforts are focusing on illegal trade and protecting the birds’ remaining natural habitat.

Back in June, staff at Calgary Zoo in Alberta rushed to batten down the hatches during a flood. They rescued five meerkats from a damaged exhibit just in time. The zoo withstood terrible damage, but there was a bright spot too: one week later, on June 28, one of the rescued female meerkats gave birth to five little cubs. (See our original story about the rescue and birth here.)

At two months old, the five cubs are now healthy, adventurous, and growing like weeds. They haven't been named yet because it will take a checkup to determine the sexes of the pups. Their mother is doing an excellent job at raising her offspring, so caretakers have decided not to intervene with the family just yet, as everything appears to be going smoothly. 

Calgary Zoo is in the process of repairing and rebuilding after the extensive damage caused by the flood. If you'd like to help out with a donation, it's easy to do from the Calgary Zoo website!

Photo credits: Calgary Zoo

In the early hours of Friday, June 21, at the height of the flood that engulfed the Calgary Zoo, curator Dr. Malu Celli and event-tech Josh Watson hurried to rescue the zoo’s five adult Meerkats – Petunia, Penelope, Kruger, Kwando, and Karoo – from the African Savannah building. No one anticipated the water would rise so high in the building and so the Meerkats had been left in their home the night before, with staff thinking they would be safe there. With the rapidly rising water quickly collapsing the burrows in their home, time was running out and the five had taken refuge in a concrete log in the exhibit. 

One week later, on Friday, June 28, while housed in comfortable temporary quarters at the zoo’s animal health center, five healthy pups were born. It seems that Penelope is the mom, but there’s a chance that some of the pups may belong to Petunia. Sounds confusing? While Penelope appears to be taking the lead as mom, Petunia is also lending a hand with the pups, and without close examination, it’s difficult to be 100 percent certain who is mom to whom. 

Photo Credits: Calgary Zoo

See a video about the rescue below:
 

See and learn more after the fold.

With shaggy fur and chunky legs, a baby Musk Ox is taking center stage at the Calgary Zoo.  The calf was born on April 23 to mom Shyia and dad Tlayopi.  Though Musk Ox calves are big babies, they have a lot of growing to do before reaching their adult weight of 500 to 800 pounds. 

This little calf and his mother appear to be bonding well, and the calf is nursing regularly.  Musk Ox calves nurse for about two months, then begin eating vegetation like the adults. 

Photo Credit:  © The Calgary Zoo by John Ternan

Musk Ox are named for the strong musky odor emitted by adult males.  They lived in small herds of about 20 animals in the Canadian Arctic and in Greenland; herds have also been introduced in Scandanavia.  Adult herd members will protect young calves by standing in a circle, facing outward, with calves in the center of the circle. 

Musk Ox populations are stable in the wild.

See more photos of the baby Musk Ox below the fold.