ZooBorns

Big-Eyed Bongo Baby Born at Dublin Zoo

The Dublin Zoo in Ireland is celebrating the birth of an Eastern Bongo calf, a female born last month to parents Kimba and Sam. She weighed in at a healthy 44 pounds (20kgs). And it looks like half of that was all in her ears!

This is a particularly significant birth for Dublin Zoo as this baby is an important boost to the international breeding programme for this highly endangered species. Only between 75 and 140 eastern bongos exist in the wild. 

 Team leader Helen Clarke-Bennett, said, “We are thrilled with the arrival of the bongo calf. There is so few of them left in the wild that successful breeding is essential to the survival of this beautiful species."

Photo Credit: Dublin Zoo

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Little Black Calf with Four White Socks

On the Family Farm at Ireland's Dublin Zoo, Bella, a Friesian cow, gave birth to a healthy male calf. The baby was born early on the morning of January 25, and he was nursing within three hours. This is Bella’s second calf. Team leader Eddie O’Brien describes the newborn as being jet black, except for a white star on his forehead, and four white socks. The breed’s characteristic black patches can be replaced with an orangey-tan color found in a minority of the cows; they are called "reds".

A Friesian cow can refer to any of a number of black-and-white spotted dairy cattle - Dutch, Swedish, British and the commonly known American. Friesian breeds are commonly known as Holstein cattle, recognized for good milk production. They are found all over the world, from New Zealand to Canada.

Photo Credit: Dublin Zoo

Ten Little Piglets! Ten!

Ireland's Dublin Zoo and the Agri Aware are celebrating the first arrivals of 2012. Last week, Rosie, a Tamworth pig, welcomed ten piglets. This is her second litter, with five males and five females. During the first week, the piglets remained close to their mom, but over the past few days, they have started to explore their new surroundings. 

Eddie O’Brien, team leader at Family Farm, a joint partnership between Dublin Zoo and Agri Aware said, “The piglets are full of beans and can be seen running around chasing after each other in their pen. We are keeping a close eye on two little runts in the litter, just to make sure they are getting an equal share of the food. However, we are very happy so far, as each piglet is healthy and making good progress. We’re very excited to have these new arrivals.”

Photo Credits: Dublin Zoo

 

Ireland's New Pot of Gorilla Gold

In one of her last official engagements, Ireland's President Mary McAleese opened Dublin Zoo's new Gorilla Rainforest during a ceremony.

In a double celebration, Dublin Zoo also announced the birth of another healthy baby Gorilla born to first-time mum, Mayani, on Friday 16th September. The baby arrived just days after the Gorillas moved to their new habitat. The animal care team is delighted to confirm the baby Gorilla is female. Proud mum Mayani is cradling the infant close to her chest and both mother and baby are thriving.

Photo credits: Dublin Zoo

Twice as Nice - Red Panda Babies at the Dublin Zoo

Two red panda cubs a male and a female, were born at the beginning of August at the Dublin Zoo -- but they have only recently ventured out of the den. From the time they were born their mother, Angelina, kept moving the cubs to different hiding places around the habitat to keep them protected.

Team Leader Eddie O’Brien said, “We are delighted with the arrival of the cubs. They are both doing very well and starting to fend for themselves. Visitors should now be able to spot them roaming around in their habitat.”

Red pandas have thick, dense fur and a long, bushy tail keep them warm. The fur on the soles of their feet also prevents them from slipping on wet branches. Mainly active at sunrise and sunset, they spend the rest of their time asleep in the trees.They live in the wild in the cool, temperate, old-growth forests of southwestern China, the Himalayas and Nepalwhere dens are easily found and there are plenty of hiding places for cubs. Their coloration helps to camoflage them. Bamboo is their favorite food.

Red pandas are endangered in the wild due to poaching and habitat loss. They are now protected by national laws in their range countries, so few of them are hunted, but deforestation is now their greatest threat. Because they hide in the wild, no one knows exactly how many are left in the world.  

Photo Credit: Dublin Zoo

New Crested Macaque Baby At Dublin Zoo

The Sulawesi Crested Macaque Island at the Dublin Zoo celebrated yet another addition to their troop. Since Sumo the alpha male arrived in 2009 the group has welcomed five youngsters with this most recent addition born about a month ago. It is too early to tell if the baby is a male or a female. 

Ciaran McMahon, team leader of the macaques said, “Macaques are an endangered species and it is a real accomplishment that our troop is growing so fast. We have a cohesive group of twelve macaques who can regularly be seen grooming and spending time with each other. He added, “Male macaques are not monogamous primates and Sumo is enjoying great success with his six breeding females. We hope to welcome more new arrivals throughout the year.”

Baby Blackbuck Kicks Up Her Heels

It's as if she's saying, "I'm here World!" And that is very good news, as this animal is severely threatened.

Last month, in the Kaziranga Forest Trail at the Dublin Zoo, blackbuck parents Honey and Basil welcomed this lively little female - their first offspring. She's also the first ever blackbuck newborn at the Zoo. Team leader Ciaran McMahon said, “We are thrilled with the arrival of our first blackbuck calf. We hope to grow the herd to approximately seven or eight, and the new calf is a great start. The youngster is fit and nimble but still quite shy; however she can be seen bouncing around the elephant habitat between 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. every day.”

Contrary to what their name suggests, the coloring of female calves like this one is a light tan shade. In adulthood, male bucks have striking black and white fur, and two long, twisted horns (they can be as long as 31 inches, or 46 cm), while females are fawn colored and without horns.

The blackbuck is a species of the antelope and one of the fastest terrestrial animals in the world, reaching speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 km/hr). In India, their country of origin, blackbucks live side by side with elephants and at the Dublin Zo, blackbucks also co-habit with their herd of Asian elephants.

Often called the Indian antelope, due to their native range being in Indian subcontinent (which includes Pakistan and Nepal), dramatically decreased, as it was the most hunted animal in the country. Though now Indian laws prohib it hunting the blackbuck to protect this endangered species, there are still incidents of poaching, because it's flesh and skin get quite a high price in the markets. In addition, man continues to encroach upon its habitat, mostly turning it into grazing areas for cattle -- and those cattle also have spread bovine diseases to the blackbuck. In 2008 the population estimate in the wild was estimated to be a startlingly low 184 antelope.

 

Who Knew - Piglets Smile When They Nap!

Here's a set of baby pictures that just may produce squeals of delight! These nine Tamworth piglets were born in the first week of May, 2011, at the Dublin Zoo's Family Farm to mom Ginger. Five are males and four are female.

Eddie O’Brien, team leader of the Family Farm said, “The piglets are thriving and full of beans. During the first couple of weeks we kept a close eye on the one little runt of the pack, as he was smaller and weaker than the others. There was no need to worry as we soon realized he is equally as fit and able as the rest of his siblings...  He never misses a meal!”

Photo Credits: Dublin Zoo

Among the oldest of pig breeds, the Tamworth is a domestic pig originating in the UK. They are thought to have descended from wild boars, via native pig stock of Europe. Principal populations today are in the United Kingdom, Australia, USA, New Zealand and Canada. Also called Sandy Backs and Tams, they are listed as "Threatened" in the US and as "Vulnerable" in the UK by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. There are fewer than 300 registered breeding females.

Six Feet of Joy for Dublin Zoo

Dublin Zoo welcomed a newborn Giraffe at 11.45am on Monday morning. The male calf stands tall at 1.8 metres (6 ft) and weighs approximately 40kgs (88 lbs). The giraffe calf will make his first appearance in the African Savanna on Saturday to celebrate Africa Day (21st May). The new arrival joins his mother Hailey, father Robin and sister Kuliko along with the other five Giraffes in the herd.

Helen Clarke-Bennet, team leader of the African Plains said, “He is a beautiful strong and healthy calf. He is much paler than his sister Kuliko with splashes of black hair from his knees to his feet.

Photo credits: Dublin Zoo

It's All Smiles at Dublin Zoo!

A four pound bundle of joy arrived at Dublin Zoo Sunday. Mother Lana is guarding her infant Gorilla around the clock and it may be some time before keepers have a chance to get a closer look and determine its sex. Keeper Ciaran McMahon said: "We are over the moon with the birth of the baby Gorilla. The new arrival is a great success for Dublin Zoo as part of the European breeding programme for these critically endangered primates. We are one of a few zoos to have a Gorilla family living together and we can see that the bonds between the group are very strong. The youngster is doing very well, within minutes the baby was feeding from mum, Lena, which is a very good sign. We can tell that the infant is strong because there are a lot of head movements."

Photo credits: Dublin Zoo