ZooBorns

Rare Cats Born Through Amazing Science!

Some adorable newborn kittens at Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species have no idea just how special they are.  Two African Black-Footed kittens, members of an endangered species rarely seen in captivity, are the first of their kind to be born from a frozen embryo via in-vitro fertilization. This ground-breaking birth is the latest advance in assisted reproduction for endangered species from Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans.

Photo credits: Audubon Institute

The youngsters, both males, were born to surrogate mother Bijou on February 13, 2011, but their story goes all the way back to 2003, when sperm was collected from a 6 year old male named Ramses in Omaha, Nebraska. Experts at the Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo Center for Conservation and Research – Reproductive Sciences Department froze the sperm and sent it to Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species.  It was combined with an egg from Zora, a Black-Footed Cat living at Audubon research center, creating embryos in March, 2005. Those embryos were frozen for almost six years before being thawed and transferred to Bijou on December 7, 2010. Sixty-nine days later, the two kittens became the first of their species to be born as a result of in-vitro fertilization utilizing frozen/thawed sperm and a frozen/thawed embryo.

Fuzzy Flamingo Chick Meets the World

Louisiana's Audubon Zoo welcomed a fluffy American flamingo chick this week. Looking a bit like a confused, fuzzy baby dinosaur, the tiny chick spends most of its day in the security of mom's giant pink legs and webbed feet. American flamingos breed in the Galapagos and the coasts of northern South America. 

Nap time

Photo credits: Audubon Zoo

Baby Menari Photos by Life on White

Life on White is a Belgian team that has photographed over 469 different animal species, all on white backgrounds. This week they photographed baby Menari, the new orangutan at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, and were kind enough to share the incredible photos. Enjoy.

 

Menari is the Audubon Zoo's first baby orangutan in 13 years and her name means "dance" in Indonesian

Another Visit with Menari the Orangutan

While these pictures were taken around the same time as the last round of Menari photos we brought you, we couldn't resist sharing this second set from the Audubon Zoo. Known for their remarkable intelligence, Sumatran Orangutans like Menari are critically endangered in their native habitat.

Oh Baby! Orangutan Newborn in New Orleans

The Audubon Zoo in New Orleans welcomed an endangered Sumatran Orangutan, Menari, on June 10th. These photos taken last week give us a sneak peek of the baby in advance of his public debut. Native and endemic to Sumatra, Sumatran Orangutans are smaller and in fact more rare than Bornean Orangutans.

Baby Giant Anteater at the Audubon Zoo

Like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, this baby Giant Anteater was born January 8th, at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Only a few weeks old and already sporting a snout that would make any mama anteater proud, the gender is not yet determined, as the little guy or gal spends all day clinging to mom's shaggy coat. (Note: the video can take a little while to load)

Video: Giant baby anteater on display for first time

Photo and Video: Jennifer Zdon / The Times-Picayune