Rare Baby Wombat Emerges From the Pouch

A baby Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat, born on February 4, 2017 at the Brookfield Zoo and one of only nine living in North America, is out of the pouch and exploring her surroundings along with her mom, 17-year-old Kambora. 

At birth, a Wombat joey (that’s what a baby marsupial, or pouched mammal, is called) is tiny and hairless, and is about the size of a bumblebee. It climbs into its mom’s pouch where it attaches to a teat and remains there for the first few months of life. While in the pouch the young joey sleeps and nurses, getting all the necessary nutrients it needs to fully develop. Though she was born in February, the joey didn't peek out of Kambora’s pouch until the end of August. Gradually, she went from poking her head for a few seconds to climbing completely out of the pouch. Now weighing just over 10 pounds, the joey is very inquisitive and becoming more independent.

Photo Credit: Brookfield Zoo

The not-yet-named joey is Kambora’s sixth offspring and the first for the sire, 5-year-old Darryl, who arrived at Brookfield Zoo in 2016 from Australia. Several years ago, Brookfield Zoo staff worked with the five other North American zoos that have southern hairy-nosed Wombats, along with Zoos South Australia and their government, to form and develop a breeding program to ensure a genetically sustainable population for the species in professional care.

In 1969, Brookfield Zoo received three Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats, and, in 1974, became the first zoo outside of Australia to successfully breed the species in professional care. Since then, there have been 21 Wombat births at Brookfield Zoo. There are only nine southern hairy-nosed Wombats in five North American institutions, including at Brookfield Zoo.

Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats, whose closest living relative is the Koala, are thick, heavy-bodied animals. They are native to central southern Australia, where they live in arid to semiarid savannah woodlands, grasslands, and low shrub plains. They are about the size of a medium-sized Dog, but are much more rounded and solidly built. The pouch opens to the rear, so that when they are digging, soil does not get into it.

Wombats have long claws, a stubby tail, a flattened head that looks too big for their body, and short, powerful legs. They use their long claws when digging warrens—complex, underground tunnel systems—that are the center of Wombat life. Each warren is made up of several separate burrows. Wombats never wander too far from their warrens. Several Wombats may have their warrens near each other, forming a cluster. However, they rarely interact with each other. Currently, the Wombat population in Australia is being threatened by habitat loss, drought, and agricultural practices.

  

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source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2017/10/rare-baby-wombat-emerges-from-the-pouch.html

Attack of the Snow Leopard Cub!

A Snow Leopard cub born this summer at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Bronx Zoo has made its public debut.

The female cub, who has not yet been named, plays and wrestles with her mother, K2, in the photos and video below. Baby animals develop important skills through play, and K2 is proving to be a patient teacher even when her cub is in “attack mode.”

Photo Credit: Julie Larsen Mayer/WCS

The cub is the second-generation offspring of Leo – a Snow Leopard who was rescued as a young orphaned cub after being found in the high mountains of northern Pakistan in 2005. Leo was brought to the Bronx Zoo in 2006 as part of a historic collaboration between WCS and the U.S. and Pakistani governments.

The cub’s father, Naltar, was sired by Leo in 2013.

“This Snow Leopard cub is special not only because it is an ambassador for its species, but because of its lineage," said Dr. Patrick Thomas, WCS Vice President and General Curator, and Bronx Zoo Associate Director who was part of the delegation who brought Leo from Pakistan. “Leo and his descendants, including this cub, will help bolster the health and genetics of the Snow Leopard population in AZA-accredited zoos.”

More than 70 cubs have been born at the Bronx Zoo – more the than any other zoo in North America – and the Bronx was the first zoo in the United States to exhibit the species in 1903. The Bronx Zoo breeds Snow Leopards as part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative breeding program designed to enhance the genetic viability of animal populations in zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). 

Snow Leopards are native to remote mountains of Central Asia and parts of China, Mongolia, Russia, India and Bhutan. WCS has worked for decades on Snow Leopard conservation programs in the field with current projects in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and western China. Past projects have also included work with Snow Leopards in Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia.

In Pakistan, WCS has been implementing a community-based conservation program since 1997 to help protect the Snow Leopard and other wildlife. The program includes education, training, and institution building for community resource management. WCS has helped create over 60 natural resource committees and trained over 100 community rangers to monitor Snow Leopards and other wildlife and stop deforestation and poaching that threatens these species and local livelihoods.

As a result of ongoing conservation efforts, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently reclassified Snow Leopards from Endangered to Threatened. The species’ survival is still at risk and continues to face threats that stem from human activities such as habitat loss and illegal killings.

See more photos of the playful cub below.

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source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2017/10/attack-of-the-snow-leopard-cub.html

Red Panda Brothers Debut at Philadelphia Zoo

The Philadelphia Zoo’s two new adorable Red Panda cubs recently made their public debut.

Brothers, Yeren and Ping Jing, were born to mom, Spark, and dad, Khumbie, in June. This is the second successful Red Panda litter at Philadelphia Zoo. Twins, Benjamin and Betsey, were born in June of 2015.

Spark is a wonderful mom and is doing a great job caring for her new babies, and the Zoo says all are doing very well.

Photo Credits: Philadelphia Zoo

The birth of this litter is important, as Red Pandas are classified as “Endangered” by the IUCN. The main threats to the species in the wild are habitat destruction, poaching and climate change.

Known for their cinnamon colored fur and bushy, ringed-tail, the Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens) is native to the mountains of Central China, Nepal and northern Myanmar (Burma).

Yeren and Ping Jing are now on exhibit with their mom Spark each day at Philadelphia Zoo.

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source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2017/10/red-panda-brothers-debut-at-philadelphia-zoo.html

Newborn Lemur Is a First for Altina Wildlife Park

Staff members at Altina Wildlife Park are very excited to announce their very first baby Ring-tailed Lemur!

Altina Wildlife Park, in NSW, Australia, is one of the few privately own zoos to exhibit this remarkable endangered species and is proud to be a member of the Australasian breeding program.

In December 2015, Altina acquired two females, Allina and Ipollo. Both girls settled in immediately, and in July 2016, Stan (referred to as the park’s very own “King Julian”) arrived from Australia Zoo.

In early 2017, Ipollo left the Altina family for Hunter Valley Zoo to start her very own family. It wasn’t long before Stan and Allina became quite the couple!

Staff isn’t yet sure if the newborn is male or female, but first time mum, Allina, and her baby are said to be doing extremely well.

Photo Credits: Vince Bucello /Altina Wildlife Park

 

The Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized Lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to the family Lemuridae, and is the only member of the Lemur genus. Like all Lemurs, it is endemic to the island of Madagascar.

Despite reproducing readily in captivity, and being the most populous Lemur in zoos worldwide, numbering more than 2,000 individuals, the Ring-tailed Lemur is currently listed as “Endangered” by the IUCN Red List due to habitat destruction and hunting for bush meat and the exotic pet trade. As of early 2017, the population in the wild is believed to have dropped as low as 2,000 individuals due to habitat loss, poaching, and hunting.

source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2017/10/newborn-lemur-is-a-first-for-altina-wildlife-park.html