ZooBorns

Little Lorikeets at Your Feet

Two little Rainbow Lorikeets hatched last week at the Münster Zoo in the free-flying lorikeet aviary where visitors can feed the small birds cups of nectar. What makes the birth particularly interesting is where the parrot parents chose to build their nest - right by the walkway within parrot-seed-spitting distance from peoples' feet! While there were plenty of secluded treetop nesting options, the whole parrot family seems to enjoy the hustle and bustle of visitors and the increased attention. The Rainbow Lorikeet is native to much of Australia and Asia. They often fly in flocks but spend most of their time together in pairs.

Family Portrait

Mongolian Horse Foal Standing Tall

On April 25th, Germany's Allwetter Zoo in Munster welcomed a Mongolian horse foal weighing 35 kg (77 lbs). Small and stocky, Mongolian horses have remained largely unchanged genetically since the time of Ghengis Kahn. They also have the largest genetic diversity among all horse breeds, suggesting that humans have not guided their breeding habits nearly as closely as other horses.

Tiny Twins at Allwetter Zoo

Germany's Allwetter Zoo in Muenster has a rare treat for visitors.  Born March 30th, twin ring-tailed lemurs can be seen nursing and sticking close to mom "Mobi." Ring-tailed lemurs are threatened in their native home of Madagascar by habitat destruction and poaching for bushmeat (who could eat a lemur?!). 

 
 

Germany's Road-Tripping Gorilla Infant Rides Shotgun!

In breaking baby gorilla news, 6-month-old Claudia has moved from Germany's Allwetter Zoo to the Wilhelma Zoo. The change comes as the baby's mother Gana passed away in January, leaving behind no suitable surrogate. Representatives from the Allwetter Zoo assured us that, despite their sadness over losing Claudia, they couldn't hope for a better home than the Wilhelma Zoo nursery.

Claudia clearly called "shotgun" for her first ever roadtrip cross-country!

Claudia in her element at the Allwetter Zoo, shortly before departing for Wilhelma.

Baby Ebun Photos by Life on White

"Little" Ebun is a three month old White Rhinoceros at Germany's Münster Zoo, which we covered back in September.  A couple of weeks ago, the Belgian photography team Life on White traveled to the zoo and took some of their amazing trademark shots, which they were kind enough to share. Enjoy. 

 

 

Photo credits: Life on White
  
  

The Media's Naming Him Knut...

This sunday, a mother rhino at Germany's Munster Zoo gave birth. Zoo keepers, fearing the worst when Mom began diplaying signs of aggression, decided on hand-rearing the little guy.  Media are already calling the newborn "Knut", after his famous baby polar bear counterpart.