ZooBorns

Little Lemurs Debut at the Bronx Zoo

2012-06-01T13:15:17-05:00

The Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo recently welcomed two baby lemurs, a Conquerel's Sifaka and a Collared Lemur.

Both babies will spend their next few weeks clinging firmly to mom's back. Coquerel’s Sifakas spend most of their time in trees and leap effortlessly, launching themselves vertically with their strong legs. Like most species of lemurs, the females are dominant, claiming the choicest food and the best sleeping and sunning spots.

Collared lemurs use their long tails to balance when leaping through the forest canopy. Collared Lemurs live in groups of males and females but are not matriarchal like the Sifaka and many other lemurs.

Photo Credits: Julie Larsen Maher © WCS

Video Credits: Luke Groskin © WCS

Ostrich Chicks Shake Things Up at The California Academy of Sciences' Earthquakes Exhibit

2012-06-01T10:28:38-05:00

The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco unveiled a new exhibit and planetarium show called Earthquake: Life on a Dynamic Planet on May 26. In addition to plate tectonics and preparedness, the exhibit covers how earth processes shape our landscapes and thus influence evolution over millions of years. That’s where the baby ostriches come in.

Earthquakes fit into the larger story of plate tectonics, a constant process that builds mountains, moves continents, and creates the landscape in which life evolves. In the case of the ostrich, it and its closest relatives — other flightless birds like the emu, cassowary, kiwi, and rhea — are scattered today all over the Southern Hemisphere, on continents that are thousands of miles apart. Yet they all evolved from a common ancestor, one that lived during a time when all the southern continents were joined together. Their distribution today is evidence that the Earth’s landmasses have moved great distances in the past—a validation of plate tectonic theory. The ostrich chicks will be on display until late 2012.

You Otter Help Name This Little Fellow!

2012-05-31T11:41:34-05:00

Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach, VA is inviting you to help name its newly adopted Otter pup. On February 5th, the newborn Otter was found alone near St. George, S.C., apparently abandoned by his mother. The tiny male pup was days old when rescued. During the rescue and in subsequent stabilization period, he became dependent upon human care, so he was deemed unable to be released into the wild. He is now under the watchful care of Virginia Aquarists and thriving. You can visit the aquarium's Otter blogto check his progress and learn how you can participate in the naming of this new arrival.

Photo credits: Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center

The Otter is currently off exhibit getting adjusted to his “family” of caretakers and a new routine. He is alert, curious, playful, and sleeping through the night. He likes cuddling with his blanket, chewing on his toys, and getting wet in his small pool. He is getting adjusted to “nursery school” as his caretakers have already begun their training sessions with him. Once he consistently responds to the command of returning to the caretakers, he will be able to explore the “big boy” otter exhibit, first alone, and then later with his new friends, resident otters Tippy and Homer.

See many more pictures below the fold...

The otter is just over a foot long. His current weight is 8 pounds. He is fed baby formula less and less, and eats a balanced protein diet of smelt, capelin, scrambled eggs, and cottage cheese!

A Memorable Memorial Day For A New Mother Dolphin

2012-05-30T16:46:49-05:00

On Memorial Day Monday, at around 10:30pm, Chicago's Shedd Aquarium welcomed a new-born Pacific White-sided Dolphin calf to its Oceanarium. Shortly after the birth, the calf swam to the surface, took its first breath, and began to swim and bond with its mother. The gender of the calf has yet to be determined. Animal care staff estimate the calf to be approximately 3-feet in length and weigh approximately 25-pounds. While mother and calf appear to be doing well, this is a critical time for both, and aquarists will monitor them around the clock for several months.

In 1993, the United Nations banned certain types of fishing nets that had previously caused the unnecessary deaths of thousands of these intelligent sea creatures. Pacific White-sided Dolphins are still killed needlessly by Japanese hunting drives.

Photo credit: Shedd Aquarium

Piquest and her calf swimming

A video of Shedd's Beluga whale family watching Piquet and her calf

More photos and information about the birth beneath the fold...

CHICAGO – Shedd Aquarium’s Pacific white-sided dolphin Piquet (pee-KEHT) gave birth on Memorial Day – Monday, May 28, at 10:34 p.m. Both mother and calf appear to be doing well and will remain under 24-hour observation by Shedd’s animal care staff for several months.

Shortly after the birth, the calf swam to the surface, took its first breath, and began to swim and bond with its mother. The gender of the calf has yet to be determined. Animal care staff estimate the calf to be approximately 3-feet in length and weigh approximately 25-pounds. The gestation period for Pacific white-sided dolphins is around 12 months.

“We are thrilled about the birth; however, a calf must reach several milestones in its first days and months. We know that female Pacific white-sided dolphins in the wild and in aquariums and zoos commonly lose their first calf during pregnancy or during their first year of life,” said Ken Ramirez, Shedd’s Executive Vice President of Animal Care and Training.

The new calf must overcome a number of challenging milestones, such as continuing to bond with its mother, learning to nurse, and later, learning to feed independently. Animal care and animal health staffs are using the knowledge gained through previous births and the cooperative breeding program to help the mother and calf through these important milestones.

Piquet’s pregnancy is the result of a cooperative breeding program with Miami Seaquarium. There are fewer than 20 Pacific white-sided dolphins in North American facilities. According to Ramirez, strategic partnerships with organizations like the Miami Seaquarium and other leading aquariums around the world are critical to learning more about this rarely studied marine mammal.

Piquet is 24-years-old and weighs 200-pounds. This is the first pregnancy and calf birth for Piquet, whose name means “female of small stature.” A male dolphin at the Seaquarium, Lii (LEE-ee), is the father.

Because Shedd Aquarium is committed to providing the best animal care, both mother and calf will be off public view until this first critical period has ended. While most of the Abbott Oceanarium will remain open and accessible to the public, only the Secluded Bay area will be temporarily closed. More information will be available on Shedd’s website at www.sheddaquarium.org, along with updates on Shedd’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.

See This Sea Lion Baby at Dublin Zoo

2012-05-30T07:45:45-05:00

It's a boy! Dublin Zoo is celebrating a new male Californian Sea Lion pup born in the early morning on May 22. The pup weighs approximately 6.5 pounds (3kgs) and joins his mom Seanna, his 3-year-old sister Flo, and Cassie, another female sea lion in their habitat.

Team leader Eddie O’Brien, said, “We are absolutely thrilled with the birth of this pup. I’m delighted to say that Mum and pup are doing very well. Sea lion’s milk is so rich in nutrients and fat that our new arrival will grow very quickly.”

Californian sea lions are born on land and without the ability to swim so for the first day of his life, the pup’s mother stayed with him on land. On day two, Mum led the pup to water and taught him how to swim. Californian sea lions are fast learners and the pup has become a comfortable swimmer after just a few days. However his mother still keeps a close eye on him when he is in the water.

Photo Credit: Dublin Zoo

Bison Baby Born at Brookfield Zoo

2012-05-29T07:56:16-05:00

It is not exactly the sound of a stampede but more like the pitter-patter of little hooves that guests can hear at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo’s Great Bear Wilderness exhibit with the addition of a Bison calf born on May 16. The female calf marks the first birth of this species at Brookfield Zoo since the early 1970s.

The birth is a welcome addition for mom Leotie, age 3, and father Ron, age 12, considering the species was slaughtered to near extinction in the late 1800s. Bison were hunted for their meat and bones but primarily for their hides, which were made into clothing, machine belts, and rugs. Historically, tens of millions of bison traveled hundreds of miles over the same route through the Great Plains, shaping the land and enriching the soil. Remnants of their deeply worn paths are still visible. But by the end of the 19th century, bison populations were eliminated over 98 percent of their range in the lower 48 states, resulting in fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining.

Calves are usually born in late spring and weigh 40 to 70 pounds at birth. Their coat is reddish at first, and darkens over a period of about 15 weeks. They are able to stand within half an hour of being born and can run after a few hours. Calves begin grazing when they are just shy of a week old but continue to nurse for several months.

Photo Credit: Brookfield Zoo

Read about this bison's conservation success story after the jump:

In 1905, conservationists Theodore Roosevelt and William Hornaday, the first director of Bronx Zoo co-founded the American Bison Society (ABS) at the Bronx Zoo, to help preserve this icon of America’s prairies. According to the Web site of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages Bronx Zoo, in 1907, staff sent 15 zoo-born bison by train to Oklahoma’s Wichita Mountains Wildlife Preserve to provide the core of a new herd that would help re-establish the species throughout the plains. Today, bison are making a comeback. Approximately 500,000 are managed on ranches and tribal lands, and about 20,000 live in protected parks and preserves such as Yellowstone National Park.

“The bison is the symbol of the Chicago Zoological Society (CZS), which manages Brookfield Zoo, because it is one of the first North American conservation success stories,” said Amy Roberts, curator of mammals for the Society. “We hope that when guests see this charismatic calf they will be inspired to take action in their everyday life to help ensure that these creatures and their natural habitats will flourish for future generations.”

The resurgence of the bison population is also thanks in part to the efforts of one of CZS’s conservation partners, the American Prairie Reserve (APR). The nonprofit organization, founded in 2001, is working with other government and conservation organizations to increase bison populations by protecting them and their habitat. APR is slowly purchasing private land that borders public land so that bison may freely roam once again. In partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, APR is assembling a multimillion-acre wildlife reserve to protect the species-rich grassland of northeastern Montana, where bison and other wildlife can thrive.

Some refer to bison as buffalo, which is theoretically inaccurate. True buffalo are native only to Asia and Africa. A member of the bovine family, bison are the largest land animal in North America. Males, called bulls, can stand 6 to 6.5 feet tall and weigh up to 2,000 pounds; females, or cows, are slightly shorter and can weigh between 800 and 1,000 pounds. Bison have a broad forehead and large head; short, curved horns; and a pronounced shoulder hump. They have a dark brown shaggy coat on their front legs, neck, and shoulders and shorter hair on the rest of the body. Their thick mane and coat protect them from severe winter weather; snow can cover their back without melting because they are so well insulated. The coat changes to a lighter color in spring, and as the weather warms they shed their winter coat, which is replaced with new hair in late spring.

Twice as Nice! Capybara Twins Born at Belfast Zoo

2012-05-28T06:55:44-05:00

Belfast Zoo is celebrating the arrival of two of the world’s largest rodents, in the form of twin capybara babies. They've been named Gus and Jacques. Parents Charlie (with the twins in the bottom picture), and Lola, posing just below with Gus, welcomed their offspring who came into the world on April 3.

Capybaras originate from South America. The scientific name for capybara (Hydrochoerus) means ‘water hog’ and although they are technically from the rodent family, this name relates to the fact that capybaras are semi-aquatic animals and love the water. In fact, capybaras have webbed feet and can stay underwater for up to five minutes at a time, to hide from predators.

Zoo Manager, Mark Challis, said, “Our capybaras live in a mixed South American exhibit in the zoo. Already in 2012, we have welcomed Kara and Pancho, the giant anteaters, to this enclosure and now we are celebrating the arrival of our capybara twins! It’s definitely an exciting time and I am sure that zoo visitors will enjoy visiting Gus and Jacques.”

Photo Credit: Belfast Zoo

Name an Orphan Fur Seal Pup!

2012-05-25T09:12:22-05:00

A few months ago, this tiny Northern Fur Seal pup was found alone in a tangle of seaweed on a beach in California, severely underweight and blind in one eye. His coat was in poor shape, mottled with orange under fur showing where his dark brown guard hairs should be (you can see this in the photos). This means it would be hard for him to stay warm in chilly ocean waters. Luckily the youngster was rescued by a marine mammal program in Santa Barbara. After careful examination, it was determined he could not be returned to the wild.

The New England Aquarium, which already had five other Fur Seals as companions, stepped up to welcome this seal in need. The pup arrived at the Aquarium via FedEx on May 19, weighing about 20 pounds. For now he'll remain behind the scenes at the New Balance Marine Mammal Center so trainers can make sure he’s comfortable and eating well. The addition of the young pup makes the New England Aquarium’s Northern Fur Seal colony the largest of any zoo or aquarium in North America.

Like a good Fur Seal, he spends a lot time grooming his thick fur coat. Fur Seals are the second furriest animals on the planet with 300,000 hairs per square inch!

This little guy needs a name! Have a suggestion? Submit your entries for the naming contest before 5:00PM Eastern on Tuesday (5/29/12)

More great photos after the jump

Photo credits: New England Aquarium

Endangered Monkey Born at Santa Ana Zoo

2012-05-25T07:20:48-05:00

The Santa Ana Zoo in Prentice Park is pleased to announce the birth of a rare Crested Capuchin Monkey (Cebus robustus) on May 7. The new infant is the Zoo's third birth of this species, which is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature This birth is an important contribution to the conservation program established in North America.

Crested capuchin monkeys are a medium sized primate native to rapidly disappearing forests along the Atlantic coast of Brazil. In the wild, capuchins feed on a wide variety of fruits, insects, seeds, leaves, and even small mammals. Zookeeper Dina Orbison says “it is immensely gratifying to participate in this international effort and to educate our visitors about such unique and inquisitive animals”.

Photo Credits: Ethan Fisher/Santa Ana Zoo

Ever Wanna Bottle Feed a Cheetah?

2012-05-24T18:55:38-05:00

Three weeks after their unconventional and rocky entrance into the world, two 3-week-old Cheetahs were transported May 18 to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in good health, thanks to the hard work and swift actions of animal care staff at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia. The cubs are being hand-raised at the Zoo and will require around-the-clock care until they are ready to make their public debut late this summer.

Photo credits: All photos by Adrienne Crosier, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute apart from 2, 6,7, and 8 by Janice Sveda, Smithsonian's National Zoo

Five-year-old Cheetah and first-time mom Ally gave birth to the first cub, a male, April 23. However, instead of nursing and cleaning the cub, she abandoned him, which is relatively common for first-time mothers under human care. Cheetah keepers moved the cub to the veterinary hospital to be treated for severe hypothermia. When Ally suddenly stopped having contractions hours later, SCBI head vet Dr. Copper Aitken-Palmer anesthetized her to see if she had additional cubs. Aitken-Palmer heard additional heartbeats and performed a radiograph to determine that three cubs remained. She performed a cesarean section, a procedure rarely used on Cheetahs and one that cubs do not often survive. A team of veterinarians, keepers and scientists worked for three hours to resuscitate the three cubs, performing CPR, administrating medications and rubbing the cubs to dry and warm them. One of the three cubs, a female, did survive.

Read more about the cubs and see all their first photos below the fold...

“Given how rare this procedure is, we thought it’d be unlikely for any of the cubs to survive,” said Adrienne Crosier, SCBI cheetah biologist. “But that little female is a fighter. Once we got her breathing, she just kept going. It was a very intense, stressful experience, but among the most inspiring of my career.”

Both cubs and their mother were in intensive care for the following three days. The cubs’ father, Caprivi, was brought to the veterinary hospital to donate plasma to the cubs to boost their immune systems. Today both cubs and their mother appear to be in good health, though animal care staff is continuing to monitor all three carefully.

“There are now two new genetically valuable cubs in a population that so desperately needs them,” Aitken-Palmer said. “So this is really a success for this struggling species.”

Because Ally rejected the first cub, animal care staff is hand raising both cubs, which requires bottle feeding every few hours. Having two hand-raised cubs presented a unique opportunity to bring the animals to the Zoo, according to Tony Barthel, curator of the Zoo’s Cheetah Conservation Station, where the new cubs will live. In addition to the four litters born at SCBI in Front Royal, two litters of Cheetahs have been born at the Zoo’s Washington facility since 2004.

“Moving mom and cubs is more challenging than moving the cubs alone for many reasons,” Barthel said. “The cubs will continue to need care and we’re not out of the woods yet. The goal is to ensure that the Cheetahs thrive and become ambassadors for their species.”

Ally and Caprivi were paired as a recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan for Cheetahs. The SSP matches animals across the country to ensure genetic diversity in the population. The mortality rate for cheetah cubs in human care born under normal circumstances is 20 percent during the first six months, compared to a mortality rate of up to 70 percent in the wild population in east Africa. SCBI is one of five centers participating in research to boost the captive Cheetah population as part of the Conservation Centers for Species Survival, also known as C2S2. In addition to four litters born at SCBI in Front Royal, two litters of Cheetahs have been born at the Zoo’s Washington facility since 2004.

Cheetahs, the fastest animals on land, are struggling to outpace threats to their survival in the wild. As the result of human conflict, hunting and habitat loss, there are only an estimated 7,500 to 10,000 Cheetahs left in the wild. The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers cheetahs a vulnerable species.The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute plays a key role in the Smithsonian’s global efforts to understand and conserve species and train future generations of conservationists. Headquartered in Front Royal, Va., SCBI facilitates and promotes research programs based at Front Royal, the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and at field research stations and training sites worldwide.