animalphiles

Trio of rare leopard cubs make frisky first appearance

They aren't your typical sweet, adorable kittens. Three Persian leopard cubs were snapping and snarling as they met their public for the first time at the Budapest Zoo yesterday.

The Persian leopard is the largest of the leopard subspecies and is native to Western Asian countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Armenia. It's endangered, however, with less than 2,000 thought to be living in the wild. An additional 74 leopards live in zoos.

The cubs born in Hungary  — sisters Bella and Bara and brother Bahar — are part of a breeding program of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. They will stay in Budapest for about a year, when they will be transferred to other zoos around the world.
Photo: AP/Bela Szandelszky

Fuzzy babies at Central Park Zoo

On the big screen, penguins are everywhere. Whether they are marching, surfing, singing, or dancing, most people can't get enough of these well-dressed and waddling birds. And for those people, the Wildlife Conservation Society's Central Park Zoo has a very special treat: penguin chicks! These adorable fuzzy creatures might be tough to see at first, but patient Zoo-goers will see their furry, little heads popping up from their nests over the next few weeks.

The Central Park Zoo has successfully hatched penguin chicks for 15 out of the last 17 years. While bringing the next generation into the world may be a less perilous process for their penguins than it is for the Emperor penguins depicted in the film March of the Penguins, it still requires meticulous care and dedication. Getting penguins to breed at the Zoo is a year-long process that starts with getting them in the mood via lighting and that doesn't mean lighting a few candles.

Zookeepers simulate the Antarctic light cycle so the birds can adhere to a breeding schedule similar to the one they would have in the wild. This careful lighting cues the birds to the time of year in the Southern Hemisphere and when they should start thinking about building their nests. At that point (typically early spring), zookeepers introduce rocks, similar to ones found in the birds' native habitat, into the exhibit. The male penguins then present rocks to their mates during the breeding season. While this may bring to mind a certain human courtship custom, these penguins use their rocks for more practical purposes - nest building.

The Central Park Zoo has two different kinds of Antarctic penguins, Gentoos and Chinstraps. Gentoos measure up to 18 inches and the chinstraps stand up to 12 inches. The males and females of both species take turns sitting on nests and feeding their young. Once the babies grow old enough to waddle away from their nests,  zookeepers bring both the chicks and their parents to their dry summer homese behind the exhibit to keep them safe and warm-- the chicks' downy feathers need to stay dry until their adult when their waterproof feathers grow in. Once the youngsters are swim-ready, the entire family returns to their waterfront property.

Rare tigers born in Romania

From Reuters:
Lenuta and Costel, two tiger cubs from one of the world's most endangered species, the Siberian tiger, were born in a Romanian zoo this year.    

The Siberian tiger, native to northern China, southern Russia and parts of North Korea is on the brink of extinction in the wild, decimated by poaching and loss of habitat. Scientists believe only a few hundred now live outside captivity.

The cubs, now weighing about seven pounds each, were born on May 21 to six-year-old Gina and her mate, six-year-old Geo.

"It is a miracle," Liliana Stancu, chief of a zoo in the city of Galati in eastern Romania, told Reuters. "Their mother was extraordinary, accepting them, carefully looking after and feeding them from the very beginning."

"Without her help it would have been almost impossible for the little tigers to survive ... we try not to touch the cubs so as to not scare the mother into loosing the milk."

The mother kept the cubs out of public view in an indoor den until this month.

Cuteness cubed (to the third power)

The Leipzig Zoo in Germany is proud to present a trio of tiger cubs to an adoring public.

The triplets were born June 30 and each is still no bigger than a house cat.

See more great pix at The Daily Mail.

White tiger litter debuts in Mexico

Five baby Bengal tigers have met their public at a zoo in western Mexico. What makes this litter remarkable is that four of them are white.

They were born in April as the result of a natural breeding program, at the Guadalajara Zoo. Check out the adorable AP video

The tigers' father, Nino, has sired every litter born at the zoo.
Photo: AP/Guillermo Arias

Rare red panda cubs bring hope for species' future

Zookeepers are celebrating the birth of two extremely rare red pandas at Edmonton's Valley Zoo in Canada.

The cubs are part of a very small population of red pandas in the world. It's estimated that there are fewer than 2,500 alive in the wild because their natural habitat in China, India and Nepal is being destroyed.

Forty red pandas are being raised in zoos. The Valley Zoo has joined an international breeding program in an effort to keep the species alive.

Currently, the cubs are being kept away from the parents because the mother, Lala, was over grooming them and causing lacerations.

Sandy Helliker, an animal health technologist at the zoo, is taking care of the cubs. She has spent several sleepless nights this week hand-feeding the cubs, who need to eat every three hours.

It will be about three months before the cubs will be on display with their parents, Koko and Lala.

The zoo will hold a contest this summer to name the pandas.

The two new cubs won't be released back into the wild. However, their offspring could be.

Baby boom at tiger conservation center

84 Siberian tiger cubs have been born since March at a breeding center in China, and dozens more are expected in the coming months.

The Hengdaohezi Feline Breeding Center says the cubs are all doing well.

Fewer than 400 Siberian tigers — also known as Amur, Manchurian or Ussuri tiger — are believed to survive in the wild, about 20 of them in China and the rest in Russia.

Human settlements have encroached on the cats' habitat, and they also are in danger from poachers who want hides and bones for traditional Chinese medicine.

The breeding center plans to train some of the cubs for life in the wild and release them in the future.
photo:AP/Xinhua

Manta ray born at Japanese aquarium

A baby giant manta ray born at a Japanese aquarium is believed to be the first of the born in captivity.

The female manta was born at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium more than a year after its parents mated.

Biologists say its rare for aquariums to have manta rays because they get so big (some large specimens can span 25 feet. The newborn at Okinawa is already more than six feet across.

The mother manta was pregnant for 374 days. Aquarium official Minoru Toda said little has been known about the life of manta rays, and the record of pregnancy and the birth would provide valuable scientific data to the studies of the species.

"We unfolded some of the mysteries about the life of manta rays, including the length of their pregnancy," Toda said. "Now we have to make sure the baby grows in good health."

Baby hippo gives Knut some competition?

One-month-old baby hippopotamus Paul made his first public appearance at Berlin Zoo Friday.

The BBC Web site, where this picture comes from, suggests Paul may pull attention away from the hugely popular polar bear Knut. Paul's looks alone may not be able to achieve that, but Knut is growing fast (he's six-months-old now) and rapidly losing the heart-melting adorableness of his youth.

Deaf dolphin gives birth to healthy baby

A deaf Atlantic bottlenose dolphin delivered her calf this week at the Marine Mammal Conservancy in the Florida Keys. The calf is 42 inches long and weighs about 30 pounds.

The mother, Castaway, has been vocalizing to the calf and the baby has answered back. But vets believe Castaway cannot process the baby's sounds.

The mama dolphin vocalizes in a monotone, much like deaf humans speak. In order for the calf to become properly socialized with dolphin language,  vets have wired the nursery with sound - electronically connecting to a lagoon at Dolphins Plus a few miles away.

Mother and calf are to remain at the Conservancy for at least six months before relocating to a more permanent facility.