Jacksonville Zoo Hatches Rare North American Snake

The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is celebrating the successful hatching of two Louisiana Pine Snakes. Considered the rarest snake in North America, the species is found only in a few areas in Western Louisiana and bordering counties of Texas.

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens participates in a cooperative Louisiana Pine Snake reintroduction program by partnering with other zoos to breed the critically endangered species and then release the hatchlings into the wild to bolster native populations.

Photo Credits: Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

The Louisiana Pine Snake spends a lot of time in and around the burrows of pocket gophers – its main food source. The species is a non-venomous constrictor in the same family as Bull Snakes.

Louisiana Pine Snakes lay the largest eggs of any North American snake but have an average clutch size of only 3-4. By comparison, Rat Snakes found in the same habitat can produce as many as 24 eggs. Because of its small clutch size, coupled with threats including habitat loss and vehicle mortality, the Louisiana Pine Snake is in decline in the wild. Joint efforts by zoos are an important component of the conservation of the species.

This is the fourth year Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has successfully hatched Louisiana Pine Snakes. In 2015, the Zoo invested in a hibernaculum, a specialized piece of equipment that keeps snakes at ideal temperatures and promotes breeding. The recent hatchings signify the 13th and 14th snakes JZG has contributed to the program.

A female hatched on August 1, weighing an impressive 115 grams. She was sent to the U.S. Forest Service to be released into the wild. A smaller male hatched on August 2 and will be held back to be released in April of next year. The process of holding the animal back to grow in controlled settings is called “headstarting.” Studies are being conducted to determine if it is best to get hatchlings into the wild immediately or if they benefit by time to grow before being introduced to native populations.

"Based on available data, the Louisiana Pine Snake is North America’s rarest snake species,” said Cayle Pearson, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ Herpetology Supervisor. “We are proud to assist with its conservation and hope that one day the species will thrive once again in the wild."

Exciting news out of Louisiana came earlier in the month when colleagues at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans reported that in a survey of snakes in the wild, they found a Louisiana Pine Snake that hatched at the Jacksonville Zoo and was released in back 2015!

source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2018/08/jacksonville-zoo-hatches-rare-north-american-snake.html

Singapore Zoo’s RepTopia Marks First Successful Year

Singapore Zoo’s “RepTopia” is marking its first year at the Zoo with the successful breeding of over 80 specimens of reptiles and amphibians.

RepTopia saw 40 successful hatchings of the iconic Panther Chameleon. No larger than the head of a pen, these vulnerable hatchlings require diligent care from RepTopia’s keepers.

The amazing success at the Zoo also includes six critically endangered Electric Blue Geckos and endangered Golden Poison Frogs.

Photo Credits: Wildlife Reserves Singapore (Image 1,2: Panther Chameleon/ Image 3: Electric Blue Gecko/ Image 4: Golden Poison Frog/ Image 5: Gaboon Viper/ Image 6: Knob-tailed Gecko/ Image 7: Plumed Basilisk/ Image 8: Dyeing Poison Frog/ Image 9: Henkel's Leaf-tailed Gecko)

Six Gaboon Vipers were also born in RepTopia’s first year. The viper species has the world’s longest fangs (at up to five centimeters) and the ability to deliver the most venom in a single bite.

Three of the eight successfully bred species in RepTopia are classified as “Threatened” on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.

Visitors can see them all at RepTopia’s glass-fronted hatchery.

source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2018/08/singapore-zoos-reptopia-marks-first-successful-year.html

Calf Born on World Elephant Day Meets His Herd

Animal care staff at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are celebrating the birth of a baby Elephant, born just before midnight on World Elephant Day, August 12. The calf, a male, was born to mother Ndlulamitsi, better known as ‘Ndlula,’ without complications and began nursing shortly after birth. 

Photo Credit: Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Safari Park

“Mother and baby were in a small area of the yard, separate from the rest of the herd,” said Curtis Lehman, animal care supervisor at the Safari Park. “This separation, much like what would occur in natural habitats in Africa, allows mom and baby time for bonding.”

The baby Elephant, named Umzula-zuli, tipped the scales at more than 270 pounds—making him the largest Elephant calf ever born at the Safari Park. A newborn calf generally weights 200 to 268 pounds at birth. By late morning, with the baby appearing healthy and well bonded to his mother, animal care staff offered the pair the opportunity to move into a larger area of the habitat with the rest of the herd.

“This morning’s introduction of ‘Zuli’ to the other 12 Elephants in the herd was one of the most endearing animal scenes I have had the privilege of seeing,” said Mindy Albright, lead keeper, San Diego Zoo Safari Park. “The other Elephants were clearly excited to meet the new baby—touching him, trumpeting and smelling him with their trunks.”

The average gestation period for African Elephants is 649 days, or 22 months, so Zuli’s birth had been long anticipated. When the Park opened at 9 a.m., guests at the African Elephant overlook were able to see Ndlula and her newborn interacting with the herd. The new baby and his herd may also be seen on the Safari Park’s Elephant Cam.

The Safari Park is now home to 13 Elephants—4 adults and 9 youngsters. The adults were rescued in 2003 from the Kingdom of Swaziland, where they faced being culled. A lack of space and long periods of drought had created unsuitable habitat for a large Elephant population in the small southern African country. At the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Elephant studies are underway on nutrition, daily walking distance, growth and development, and bioacoustic communication. Since 2004, San Diego Zoo Global has contributed $30,000 yearly to Swaziland’s Big Game Parks to fund programs like anti-poaching patrols, improve infrastructure and purchase additional acreage for the Big Game Parks.  African Elephants are listed as Vulnerable to Extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2018/08/calf-born-on-world-elephant-day-meets-his-herd.html

Chester Zoo Is Tickled Pink By 21 Flamingo Chicks

Beginning on June 25, a total of 21 Caribean Flamingo chicks have hatched at Chester Zoo, bringing the total number in the zoo’s flock to 120.

All 21 youngsters are being hand fed by zookeepers at regular timed intervals, four times a day, and will require such special attention for several more weeks.


Photo Credit: Chester Zoo

Mark Vercoe, Assistant Curator of Birds, said, “Hand-feeding young Flamingos is a really intricate and demanding challenge, but these chicks will form part of another important breeding colony and so we need to make sure that each and every one makes it through to adulthood." 

The young chicks are white or grey in color, resembling little cotton balls, but they will develop their iconic pink feathers at around six months old. Flamingos get their pink color from pigments in the crustaceans and algae that they eat.

Once all of the new chicks are developed enough to fully feed themselves, the group will move to another zoo to help form a brand-new colony.

Caribbean Flamingos are the largest of all Flamingo species. They are native to the Caribbean islands, northern South America, and the Galapagos Islands, and sometimes live in flocks numbering thousands of birds. They are also known as American Flamingos.

See more photos of the flamingo chicks below.

source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2018/08/chester-zoo-is-tickled-pink-by-21-flamingo-chicks.html

Western Chimpanzee Baby Gets Name of Honor

BIOPARC Valencia welcomed a male Western Chimpanzee in July.

The new baby has been given the name Coco, and mom, Noelia, and dad, Moreno, are caring for him. Although inexperienced, the new parents are doing well and receiving support from other adult females in their group.

Photo Credits: BIOPARC Valencia

Coco was named in honor of a breeding male from a Chimpanzee group that was moved from Viveros Zoo to BIOPARC Valencia in 2008. The original Coco was a rescued circus performer that lived for 27 years, until 2005, in the safety of Viveros. His group was later relocated to BIOPARC, where they remain today. Although there is no genetic link to the new baby and the original “Coco” (they belong to different subspecies), BIOPARC’s commitment remains the same: to the preserve the planet's biodiversity, preserve species at risk of extinction, and also to assist those animals that live amongst us that are not treated as they should by man.

The Western Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) is a subspecies of the common Chimpanzee. It inhabits western Africa, mainly in Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea.

The IUCN classifies the Western Chimpanzee as “Critically Endangered” on their Red List of Threatened Species. There are an estimated 21,300 to 55,600 individuals in the wild. The primary threat to the species is habitat loss, although it is also killed for the bush meat trade.

source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2018/08/western-chimpanzee-baby-gets-name-of-honor.html