Back by popular demand, the Brookfield Zoo's Hairy-nosed Wombat joey returns to ZooBorns for a second round of adorable wombatitude. Hairy-nosed Wombats are the smallest and most social of all wombat species. Once found throughout a large range in Southern Australia, today the population has been fragmented into a patchwork by human development. The resulting reduced genetic variation makes the species more suspectible to disease. The Brookfield Zoo has exhibited this species for decades and, in fact, was home to the oldest documented Hairy-Nosed Wombats in the world, Carver, who lived to be 34, and his mother, Vicky, who lived to be 24. See the earlier shots here.
Photo credits: Chicago Zoological Society's Brookfield Zoo
Brookfield Zoo has a new resident out of the pouch and exploring more every day: a male Hairy-nosed Wombat baby (called a joey). Born in the summer of 2010 to mom Kambora, the little fellow developed in the pouch following a gestation period of approximately 21 days. Immediately after birth, the tiny joey crawled into Kambora's pouch, where he slept and nursed for approximately nine months getting all the tasty nutrients he needed for proper development. In 1974, Brookfield Zoo was home to the first Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat born outside of Australia. Since then, there have been 15 successful wombat births at Brookfield Zoo. Currently, Brookfield Zoo is one of only four zoos in North America to exhibit Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats.
Now that's a fine litter! The Chicago Zoological Society, which manages the Brookfield Zoo, proudly announced the birth of not one, not two, but TEN African Wild Dog puppies. This pile of pups was only the third (and final) litter of African Wild Dogs to be born in North American zoos in 2010. Today veterinarians performed physicals and vaccinations on the pups. African Wild Dogs are endangered in the wild due to human encroachment, diseases transmitted from domestic dogs, snaring and poisoning. “This litter is critically important to the managed population of African wild dogs in North America. We are excited about the role the puppies will play in inspiring a connection between our guests and these incredible animals, as well as communicating the plight of these dogs’ counterparts in the wild,” said Amy Roberts, curator of mammals for the Chicago Zoological Society.
All photo and video credits: Chicago Zoological Society
The two unnamed female pups, born on June 7 and June 10, were abandoned by their moms at a popular tourist attraction—Pier 39 in San Francisco—which is a highly unusual place for a California sea lion to give birth. Lucky for them, they were rescued by staff from The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California, eventually making their way to the Chicago Zoological Society's Brookfield Zoo. The pups are off exhibit for the moment while they get used to their new home but are doing great so far!
Read the whole story and see more pictures below the fold
The Addax is a critically endangered antelope native to the Western Sahara. With only an estimated 200-300 Addax left in the wild, every birth in captivity helps ensure the survival, and potential re-population, of this species. This little boy was born June 17th at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo. Lots of happy antelope tail-wagging in this video.
Definitely watch past the first minute to see some wobbly bounding.
Learn more about baby "Chad" at the Chicago Zoological Society's website.
Gibbons are the trapeze artists of the primate world, spending their lives almost exclusively swinging in the tree tops. This tiny White-Cheeked Gibbon was born April 3rd at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo and still spends most of his time clinging tightly to mom, 21 year old Indah.
Yesterday, the Brookfield Zoo announced the birth of a highly endangered Bornean orangutan. An infant orangutan’s dependency on its mother is longer than any other mammal. Because of this long dependency, there is approximately a six- to eight-year interval between births in order for the offspring to learn how to survive in the complex rain forest. This is only the second orangutan expected to be born in the United States this year.
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