ZooBorns

Aardvark Baby #8 for Colchester Zoo

Colchester Zoo continued its incredible Aardvark breeding success with the birth of an eighth baby, the seventh for mama Aardvark Oq! Colchester Zoo Curator Lisa Doran reported that “Both mum and baby are doing well and baby is a very large and healthy size.”

Oq and baby are currently housed in the birthing burrow whilst the baby grows strong. They will be able to return to the rest of the group within approximately a month, when the youngster will be strong enough to survive any bumps from the rest of the group who are notoriously clumsy.

Aardvarks are native to Africa living mainly in the sub-Saharan areas. Their habitat is generally grasslands and open woodland and their diet consists of ants, termites, fruit and other insects.

Anthony Tropeano, Zoological Director at Colchester Zoo said, “We are delighted to have another success with our breeding group of Aardvarks and very proud of the breeding record to date.  Our dedicated keepers are watching the new baby round the clock to ensure that it is thriving and we very much hope that it continues to do well.”

Second Baby Aardvark For Busch Gardens!

Busch Gardens welcomed its newest resident earlier this week: an adorable Aardvark born Monday, March 26. The healthy baby weighs about 4.8 pounds and is expected to grow to more than 120 lbs. within its first year.

It is currently living behind the scenes at Jambo Junction – located in the Nairobi area of the park – and is receiving care from members of the animal care team. The baby will join mom “Izzy” and dad “Friz” in the upcoming weeks and will be an Animal Ambassador for the park, along with its older brother “Zawadi,” who will be a year old on April 10.

There are fewer than 40 aardvarks in zoos in North America. They are solitary by nature, and Aardvark births are not common. 

Photo credits: Matt Marriott/Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

A+ For Chicago's Brand New Baby Aardvark

Chicago's Brookfield Zoo is happy to announce the birth of an Aardvark on January 12, 2012. Because of the dedicated care provided by the Society’s zookeepers, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and nutritionist, the now healthy 13-pound calf has a bright future ahead of it. Although the calf will not be on exhibit for several months, zoo guests will be able to view it via a live video monitor In the near future. 

Photo credits: Brookfield Zoo

A newborn Aardvark, which weighs about 4½ pounds at birth, is very fragile for its first few weeks of life. To ensure its best chance for survival, Animal Programs staff decided to assist the calf’s 7-year-old mom, Jessi, in rearing her infant. Since its birth, the unsexed calf has received around-the-clock care that has included a neonatal examination and extra hydration and supplemental feeding when needed to make certain it is healthy and gaining the proper amount of weight. The supplemental Aardvark formula the calf receives replicates the fat, carbohydrates, and other nutrients of a mother Aardvark's milk composition.

More photos below the fold...

Meet Nuru the Aardvark Baby

ZOO Antwerp welcomed a baby Aardvark on the 6th January. The Belgian Zoo has given the young "earth pig" (yes, Aardvark means earth pig!) the name Nuru, meaning born in the daylight. Producing enough mother's milk is a challenge for four time Aardvark mom Curly. So far, so good for baby Nuru, however. Keepers have noted Nuru's ears standing upright as an indicator of great health.

Photo credit: ZOO Antwerp

 

Little Aardvark Makes Big Debut at Busch Gardens

This young male aardvark was born at Busch Gardens on April 10. Busch Gardens’ animal care experts stepped in when they saw that the mother was not attentive. There are only about 35 aardvarks in zoos in North America. With fewer than a dozen successful births each year, aardvark births are not common. They are solitary by nature, only Busch Gardens is home to a male and female, with the cub making three. He will be raised in Jambo Junction – located in the Nairobi area of the park – and will become one of the park’s educational Animal Ambassadors. 

Meet Roxannne! Amani the Aardvark's Kid Sister

Long time ZooBorns readers and anyone whose read our books will know Amani the Aardvark, born in December of 2008. Today, Detroit Zoo announces the arrival of Amani's kid sister, Roxanne, born on January 8th. “Aardvarks are believed to be relatively plentiful in the wild, but not in zoos.  Babies like Roxanne are special because they’re both uncommonly cute and just plain uncommon,” said Detroit Zoological Society Chief Life Sciences Officer Scott Carter.  “We’re excited to have our third baby Aardvark in two years and to help this small population in zoos grow.”

Photo credits: Detroit Zoological Society

Detroit Zoological Society veterinarians and zookeepers are monitoring Rachaael and Roxanne closely.  Aardvarks are small, hairless and fragile at birth, and aardvark mothers are sometimes clumsy and can accidentally injure their little ones.  Roxanne weighed less than 4 pounds at birth and has since more than quadrupled in size.  Mature aardvarks can weigh from 90 to 145 pounds and grow 5 to 6 feet in length.

“Aardvarks are the real estate developers of their African grassland communities,” said Carter.  “They dig tunnels and burrows with ease, which are used by other animals when the aardvarks move on.”

More to read below the fold

Baby Aardvark Stumbles Its Way into Colchester Zoo

On February 7, the Colchester Zoo welcomed a bouncing baby Aardvark to mother, Oq and dad, Adela. This marks the sixth successful Aardvark birth at Colchester Zoo, which boasts the most successful breeding program of its kind in Europe.

Aardvarks are notoriously clumsy and have a habit of bumping into one another so mama-vark and baby have been moved into a specially built birthing burrow to allow a close bond to be formed between the two, and keep the baby protected from any accidental knocks from fellow antbears (as they are sometimes called in Africa). As newborn Aardvarks are poor sighted and uncoordinated, keepers take turns sitting in with mother and baby 24 hours a day to ensure that the baby is feeding well and is kept safe from any accidental injury. 

Mum and baby will be able to return to the rest of the group within approximately a month of its birth, when the youngster will be strong enough to survive any bumps from the rest of the group! The birthing burrow is off show, but visitors wishing to catch a glimpse of Oq and her offspring this half term can still see the progress of mother and baby via a closed circuit television link to a large screen in the main viewing tunnel of the Aardvark burrow.

Bronx Zoo Debuts Hoover the Baby Aardvark!

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo today debuted the first baby Aardvark ever born at the zoo. The new male Aardvark, nicknamed Hoover, was born in September to parents Dora and Arthur. Hoover spends all of his time with his mother and will continue to nurse until he is three months old. Zoo-goers can see the Aardvarks in their naturalistic nocturnal exhibit in the Carter Giraffe Building. The Bronx Zoo was the first North American zoo to exhibit Aardvarks in 1924. The zoo’s current Aardvark exhibit opened in 2008.

Photo credits: Julie Larsen Maher © Wildlife Conservation Society

 

Naked, Wrinkly, and Adorable

Born on February 27th at the UK's Colchester Zoo, this two week old baby aardvark doesn't quite fit into its pink skin. The little boy or girl currently resides with mom in the the secluded "rearing burrow," which was specially constructed to provide mother and cub with privacy during the first few weeks. For a mammal of its size, the aardvark has a tiny brain and adult aardvarks are notoriously clumsy so it's important to keep the delicate baby aardvark away from the other lumbering adults for now. Baryshnikov aardvarks aren't.

See and read more below the fold!

Alien or Aardvark?

This newborn aardvark at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo most certainly wins the award for wrinkliest baby ever featured on ZooBorns. Weighing just 5 lbs, this little calf might eventually reach as much as 125 lbs. We hope by then he has grown into his skin. 

A scampering baby aardvark

Before signing on Brad Pitt, this baby aardvark was slated to play Benjamin Button

Watch him wiggle his snout and scamper