Sloth Bears Explore Habitat
The Woodland Park Zoo's twin cubs love jumping, leaping and climbing in their exhibit
Meet the adventurous duoZoo (143)
Julie Larsen Maher © WCS
A trio of hogs no longer needs to worry about someone huffing and puffing and blowing their house in!
The three female pigs made their debut this month at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo. They're mulefoot hogs, which have single noncloven hooves that resemble those of a mule.
The domestic breed is considered critically rare by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy because they aren't commonly bred by farmers, the zoo says.
Berlin Zoo
They may be small now, but within a year, these three emu chicks will stand at a whopping 5 to 6 feet tall!
Hatched at the Berlin Zoo, the 3-month-old babies are ready to earn their stripes — with Dad at their side. Interestingly, an emu mom lays and incubates the eggs, but her job with the little ones stops there. All of the other duties of raising the chicks go to dad, reports Zooborns.
Native to Australia, the emu is the second-largest bird in the world, behind the ostrich.
We adore the striped look they’re sporting now, but the chicks will turn almost entirely black before their feathers eventually change to a mix of tan, brown and black.
Berlin Zoo
Two of the chicks go for a walk with Dad.
Woodland Park Zoo
There’s nothing sloth-y about the twin sloth bear cubs who were born at the Woodland Park Zoo in December.
“The curious explorers climb, jump and attempt daredevil leaps,” says Pat Owen, a collection manager at the zoo.
With a name like sloth bear, we were expecting him to say something like, “The quiet creatures sleep, sleep and… sleep."
Boy, were we wrong.
When the adorable duo explored their exhibit for the first time, their natural climbing instincts took over and they started scaling the logs in their habitat.
In all fairness, they did have a bit of a lazy streak. They spent the first two months of their lives clinging to their mom’s back. But, hey, they’re babies. Who can blame them?
Julie Larsen Maher © WCS
Sorry, all other species names. Thanks for playing, but you've been beat. These are babydoll lambs.
The Prospect Park Zoo, part of the Wildlife Conservation Society system in New York, recently welcomed a brother and sister pair to its babydoll lamb family. Arthur and Brooklyn were born to mother Ginger last month, and are growing a little every day.
Arthur, who weighed eight pounds at birth, will grow to be about 175 pounds. Brooklyn was only six pounds when she was born, but her expected adult size is 120 pounds.
WCS says the babydoll lamb, also called the miniature Southdown, is the oldest known purebred sheep in the world.
Marianne Hale, San Francisco Zoo
The San Francisco Zoo’s baby Sumatran tiger is a girl — and she’s a beauty.
During a five-minute 5-week exam, the veterinary staff at the zoo was able to determine that the cub is in excellent health, is up to 8 pounds thanks to her mom’s care... and a lack of “competition at the ‘milk bar,’” officials say.
The cub was born to Leanne on Feb. 10, and her keepers say mom is both protective and encouraging when her little one ventures outside of their nest box.
“Since the exam, we’ve been able to conduct brief socialization sessions with the cub to get her used to her keepers,” says Corinne MacDonald, curator of carnivores and primates at the zoo. “As we learned with Leanne’s last litter, she is an extremely attentive mother and allows us in the same space as the cub as long as she is able to watch from an adjoining enclosure.”
A 3-pound, striped bundle of joy who arrived at the Sacramento Zoo two weeks ago now has a name: Castro Jr., in honor of his father.
The male Sumatran tiger cub, who just opened his eyes, is nicknamed C.J. His dad was recently diagnosed with cancer and is receiving chemotherapy. Little C.J. is the youngest of five offspring born to Castro and his mate, Bahagia.
All of C.J.’s older siblings are now living at other zoos, where they’ve been paired with possible mates.
“The birth of any Sumatran Tiger is a great contribution to this critically endangered species,” said Mary Healy, the zoo’s director, according to the Sacramento Zoo Blog.
The baby tiger and his mom will stay in a den, away from public viewing, until May or June.
Melbourne Zoo
The Melbourne Zoo in Australia has a bouncing baby boy with a name that fits his personality perfectly. In online voting, Sanook, which is Thai for "fun-loving" and "cheerful," was the runaway favorite.
“He is cheeky, confident and loves a bit of fun so I think Victorians have chosen his name well,” says Ryan Smith, minister for environment and climate change in Victoria, Australia.
The calf’s keepers say he loves running and being in the water.
The Asian elephant weighed a hefty 289 pounds when he was born in January, and he’s growing quickly. His mom is from Thailand, and he has two older siblings at the zoo.
Janice Sveda, Smithsonian's National Zoo
A brother and sister set of adorable clouded leopard cubs are healthy and strong, and just got their first round of vaccinations at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia.
The pair was born there on Feb. 6, and spent their first weeks being bottle-fed every couple of hours by their keepers.
With the male cub now up to 3.5 pounds and the female weighing in at 2.5 pounds, the two are now indulging in chicken meat along with their feline diet.
In just over a month, the duo will be ready to move to other zoos as recommended by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan. Clouded leopards are listed as vulnerable to extinction in the wild.
Chester Zoo
Now nearly 6 months old, this baby boy and his mom share a close bond.
Emma, a Sumatran orangutan, rarely lets baby Tripa out of her sight at the Chester Zoo in the U.K.
The little guy depends on mom for TLC — as well as for food and a way to get around. Young orangutans spend up to eight years with their moms.
“Emma is a fantastic mum and is doing a brilliant job, cradling her baby and not letting him out of her arms,” said the zoo’s curator of mammals, Tim Rowlands, just after the ape’s October birth.
Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered in the wild, where their population is estimated at less than 7,000.
Oregon Zoo
Just call this river otter Mo.
The Oregon Zoo named the baby Molalla, after a river in the state — and calls him Mo for short. The zoo tries to name its otters after local waterways.
The pup was born to Tilly — who was named for the Tillamook River — on Jan. 28, becoming the first river otter to be born at the zoo. The little one weighed just 4 ounces at birth, but is quickly putting on pounds thanks to mom’s high-fat milk.
“Tilly’s been very attentive and doesn’t spend too long away from Mo,” said senior keeper Julie Christie. “We’re pretty sure the pup’s a male, but we can’t be positive until our vets conduct a more thorough exam. Either way, we think Molalla will be a good name. There are plenty of females named Mo too.”
River otters are very dependent on their moms when they’re little. They don’t walk until they’re about 5 weeks old, and swimming doesn’t come naturally to them. So, Tilly has recently started teaching Mo how to swim in the zoo’s stream and pond, which keepers babyproofed for the new arrival.
