Bioparc Valencia Keepers Confirm Their Suspicions

During a recent well-check exam, BIOPARC Valencia keepers confirmed their suspicions; their new Western Lowland Gorilla baby is indeed a female!

The infant was born July 21 and is the Zoo’s third Western Lowland Gorilla birth.

The new baby is an important member of the zoo’s Gorilla troop. Experienced mom, Nalani, and father, Mambie, are doing an excellent job caring for their new offspring. Aside from the proud parents and their new baby, the troop at BIOPARC Valencia includes: Mambie’s firstborn, Ebo (4-years-old), female Fossey, and Virunga (Nalani and Mambie’s 11-month-old daughter).

Photo Credits: BIOPARC Valencia

The Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) is one of two subspecies of the Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) that lives in montane, primary and secondary forests and lowland swamps in central Africa in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is the Gorilla most common to zoos.

The main diet of the Gorilla species is roots, shoots, fruit, wild celery, tree bark and pulp, which are provided for in the thick forests of central and West Africa. An adult will eat around 18 kg (40 lb) of food per day. Gorillas will climb trees up to 15 meters in height in search of food.

Females do not produce many offspring, due to the fact that they do not reach sexual maturity until the age of 8 or 9. Female gorillas give birth to one infant after a pregnancy of nearly nine months. Unlike their powerful parents, newborns are tiny (weighing about four pounds) and able only to cling to their mothers' fur. The infant will ride on mother’s back from the age of four months through the first two or three years of life. Infants can be dependent on the mother for up to five years.

The Western Lowland Gorilla is classified as “Critically Endangered” on the IUCN Red List. Population in the wild is faced with a number of factors that threaten it to extinction. Such factors include: deforestation, farming, grazing, and the expanding human settlements that cause forest loss. There is also said to be a correlation between human intervention in the wild and the destruction of habitats with an increase in bush meat hunting.

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source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2017/08/bioparc-valencia-keepers-confirm-their-suspicions.html

UK’s Only Koala Joey Emerges From Mom’s Pouch

Earlier in the year, RZSS Edinburgh Zoo keepers announced the birth of a joey in the Zoo’s Koala Territory exhibit. The new little Koala is starting to emerge, to the delight of visitors who are lucky enough to catch a glimpse.

Born on January 31 to mum, Alinga, and father, Goonaroo, the new arrival to the UK’s only group of Koala’s was still curled up inside mum’s pouch until very recently; however, the joey is growing fast and was photographed as it ventured out of the pouch for the first time last week.

Lorna Hughes, Team Leader for Koalas at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, said, “We are really happy that the joey has started to fully emerge. At seven months old, the joey is almost too big to fit inside mother’s pouch, which means it will now be venturing outside more regularly. Soon it will begin riding on Alinga’s back, until it becomes independent at around twelve months. Soon we will be able to begin weighing the new addition and determine its sex so we can name it.”

Photo Credits: RZSS Edinburgh Zoo

According to the zoo, Alinga will carry the joey around on her back until it is around twelve-months-old and, once it reaches sexual maturity, it will go on to become part of the European Breeding Programme. RZSS Edinburgh Zoo is the only zoo in the UK to have Koalas and this new arrival is testament to the Zoo’s animal husbandry expertise.

As members of the European Breeding Programme for Queensland Koalas, RZSS Edinburgh Zoo makes regular contributions that support conservation projects in Australia to help rehabilitate and release sick and injured Koalas back into their natural habitat.

Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are native to eastern Australia and are currently classified as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. The main threats facing Koala populations in the native territory are habitat loss, wildfires and climate change.

source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2017/08/uks-only-koala-joey-emerges-from-moms-pouch.html

Paignton Zoo Hatches Two Toco Toucans

Paignton Zoo Environmental Park is the only collection in the UK to have hatched Toco Toucan chicks this year, and the facility is one of only three in all of Europe to have bred this remarkable bird in 2017.

It’s hard to believe that the two new hatchlings, looking more like comical puppets than growing chicks, will turn into examples of one of the most striking and familiar birds in the world. The Toco is the largest, and probably the best-known, member of the Toucan family.

Photo Credits: Paignton Zoo Environmental Park 

The two are being hand-reared by Paignton Zoo bird keeper, Nikki Watt. Although, their parents have hatched chicks in the past, they failed to rear their previous chicks. Zoo staff opted to care for the chicks themselves to ensure their survival.

The chicks are demanding: they are fed first at 7:00am, then every two hours or so until 10:00pm. Each meal of special baby bird formula and fruit has to be prepared and delivered by hand. Nikki records amounts consumed at each sitting.

Now one month, the pair is doing well and already starting to look more like the more recognizable image of a Toucan.

The Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco), also known as the Common Toucan, Giant Toucan or Toucan, is the largest and probably the best-known species in the toucan family. It is native to semi-open habitats throughout a large part of central and eastern South America.

source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2017/08/paignton-zoo-hatches-two-toco-toucans.html

Chester Zoo Introduces Their New ‘Fab Five’

Five tiny Dwarf Mongoose pups, born at Chester Zoo, recently emerged from their den for the first time.

The pups were spotted following in the footsteps of mum as they took their maiden steps into the outside world.

Photo Credits: Chester Zoo

The quintet is the first litter for mum, Mini, and dad, Cooper. Both parents arrived at Chester Zoo in late 2016.

Keepers were first alerted to the new arrivals several weeks ago when they heard “little squeaks” coming from their nest box.

Nick Davis, Deputy Curator of Mammals at Chester Zoo, said, “Dwarf Mongooses are curious characters and are incredibly adventurous and playful. The babies are certainly keeping mum and dad on their toes.”  

Native to sub-Saharan Africa, the Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula) is the smallest of all carnivores on the continent, with adults growing to just 30cm (12 inches) in length. Interestingly, Dwarf Mongooses are relatives of Meerkats.

Dwarf Mongooses are found living in woodlands, grasslands and rocky outcrops. They mainly feed on locusts, beetles, spiders, termites, grubs and mealworms, smaller mammals like mice, small birds, lizards and snakes.

Given the tiny size of Chester Zoo’s latest arrivals, it’s too early for keepers to be able to confirm the sex of any of the pups.

source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2017/08/chester-zoo-introduces-their-new-fab-five.html

Double the Fluff: Twin Red Pandas Born at Cleveland Zoo

The fluffle is real! Two Red Panda cubs were born at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on June 20.

The cubs, both male, are snug in their nest box under the care of their mother, Xue Li. These are Xue Li’s first cubs.

Photo Credit: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Red Panda cubs typically remain in the next box for the first three months of life. Mom may occasionally carry the cubs in her mouth from one nest box to another during this time. The zoo staff does not intervene in the cubs’ care except to perform occasional checkups and weigh the cubs to monitor their progress.  At their most recent weigh-in, the cubs weighed about two pounds each.  Adult Red Pandas weigh eight to 14 pounds. 

Mom Xue Li was born at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in 2013. Her mate, Firecracker, age 11, previously lived at the Buffalo Zoo and the Greenville Zoo. Their pairing was recommended by the Red Panda Species Survival Plan, a program that aims to maximize genetic diversity in threatened populations under human care. These two male cubs will make important genetic contributions to the zoo-dwelling Red Panda population when they are paired with unrelated females in a few years.

Feeding mainly on bamboo, Red Pandas are most active at night and sleep much of the day. They prefer to rest on tree branches and are quite comfortable outdoors in very cold weather.

Red Pandas are native only to the Himalayan Mountains in southwestern China. They are listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to the consistent decline in their wild population, which numbers only 10,000 mature individuals.  As Red Pandas’ habitat is lost and fragmented into smaller and smaller tracts, the population shrinks and the effects of inbreeding, such as lowered fertility, further the decline.

 

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source http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2017/08/double-the-fluff-twin-red-pandas-born-at-cleveland-zoo.html