ZooBorns

Perth Zoo Hatches Black-winged Stilt Chicks

Four Black-winged Stilt chicks hatched at Perth Zoo in Australia at the end of November. These chicks are the first in a new generation of stilts and are part of a regional breeding program for this native Australian species.

Chicks are gray and with a sandy hue on their wings. When fully grown the will sport stark white feathers on the head, neck and belly while the feathers on their back and wings will be black with a greenish sheen on males and a little more brown looking on females. Adults are 13-14 inches (33–36 cm) long, with their distinctive pink legs making up about 60 % of their height which gives them an advantage in deeper waters over other wader birds (hence the name).

Black-winged Stilts can be found on the shores of large, inland water bodies and coastal habitats. They breed in freshwater or brackish (slightly salty) wetlands with a sand, mud or clay bed. While they are not currently considered endangered, they can be threatened by climate change and continued destruction of wetlands by man.

Photo Credits: Perth Zoo

Meet Perth's Newest Baby Puggle!

A prickly new arrival made its first public appearance at Perth Zoo yesterday. The Echidna Puggle, the latest breeding success at the zoo, was given a quick weigh and inspection by keepers, before being placed back in its nursery burrow where it will spend the next two to three months. The youngster weighed in at 526 grams and will continue to grow over the next three to four years before reaching the normal adult weight of around 4 kg. The Puggle, named Kai (Nyoongar for surprise), weighed less than one gram when it hatched in September and spent the first two months of its life in its mother’s pouch. “Once the puggle’s spines started to emerge the mother deposited it in the nursery burrow,” Perth Zoo’s Australian Fauna Supervisor Arthur Ferguson said.

Photo credit: Perth Zoo

 

Ghost Bat Pup Swoops into Perth Zoo!

On November 2nd, Perth Zoo's Nocturnal House welcomed a newly born Ghost Bat. The pup is developing well under its mother's care. This Australian species is listed as Vulnerable to extinction with only 4,000 - 6,000 remaining in the wild.

Photo credits: Perth Zoo

Perth, Australia's Birds of the South-West Baby Boom!

Perth Zoo's Birds of the South-west Aviary is home to Australia native birds including Elegant Parrots, Purple-crowned Lorikeets, Bush Stone-curlews, Splendid Fairy-wrens, Black-winged Stilts, Brush Bronzewings, Red-eared Firetails and Crimson Chats. The first four images are of two Elegant Parrot chicks hatched October 5th and the last three (beneath the fold) are of a Purple-crowned Lorikeet chick hatched October 2nd.

Dingo Pups Pad Around in Perth

The sound of padded feet is once again being heard at Perth Zoo in Western Australia following the arrival of two Dingo pups. The pups, named Daku and Mirri, are pure-breed Alpine Dingos born on March 13, 2011 at the Australian Dingo Conservation Association in New South Wales. They were then sent to their new home at Perth Zoo.

The pups train daily so staff can keep a close eye on their health and provide medication or physical check-ups without the need for restraint or anaesthesia. To achieve this, the keepers use positive reinforcement-based training known as operant conditioning. The keeper asks the pups to follow a cue, such as sit or lie down, and when they do the behaviour correctly, the keeper praises them and rewards them with a treat.

Of course, it’s not all work and no play. The pups are full of energy and enjoy their play time.

Photo Credit: Perth Zoo

They still have a few months to go on their training before they appear in public areas with their keepers but until then they can be seen in their exhibit at the entrance to the Australian Bushwalk.

 

Nearly Extinct Baby Gibbon Born at Perth Zoo

A rare baby Gibbon born at Perth Zoo eight weeks ago is thriving thanks to around the clock care by Perth Zoo staff. Weighing just 610 grams (21 oz.) at birth, White-cheeked Gibbon Nakai is being bottle fed and cared for by Zoo staff until he can be reunited with his mother who had difficulties caring for him shortly after the birth. Nakai is being bottle fed baby milk formula nine times a day including night feeds and has almost doubled his birth weight. He now weighs 1050 grams – just over 37 oz.

Photo and video credits: Perth Zoo

“The White-cheeked Gibbon is a critically endangered species quite literally on the brink of extinction so Nakai and every single gibbon is precious,” says Holly Thompson, Perth Zoo keeper and one of Nakai’s primary carers. Read below the fold for more pictures.

“Nakai spent the first few weeks of his life in a humidicrib to maintain his body temperature but now sleeps in a warm room with his teddy bear which is his surrogate mother for now.”

“We exercise him daily, stretching his arms and swinging him while he hangs on to help strengthen his arms and encourage natural gibbon behaviour. His upper body strength is really developing now and his overall progress has been amazing.

World's Smallest Monkeys Born at Perth Zoo

Perth Zoo has had another breeding success with twin Pygmy Marmosets born on 19 January 2011. The infants were born to parents Mia and Mario and are now starting to venture off their parents' backs and explore their exhibit. Pygmy Marmosets are the world's smallest monkeys and adults grow to weigh under 5 ounces!

Photo credits: Perth Zoo

Hand-rearing Baby Numbats

The Perth Zoo has successfully hand-reared four baby Numbats after keepers noticed they were not suckling and losing weight. Numbats are termite-eating marsupials from Western Australia. Native Species Breeding Program (NSBP) keeper Dani Jose says this was the first time Numbats had been hand-raised from such a young age. “The babies hadn’t yet opened their eyes and weighed less than 15 grams. At this young age, they look quite different from adult Numbats. They hadn’t developed their stripes yet and their snouts were short and snubby,” Ms Jose says.

Photo credits: Perth Zoo

“They were kept in the veterinary hospital in warm, quiet conditions and fed six times a day including in the middle of the night. They were fed a special milk formula for marsupials through a very small teat. We were very glad to see that they started to thrive and put on weight.” Caring for Numbats from such an early age meant keepers were able to see developmental changes that usually happen out of sight.
“We discovered that their eyes open earlier than we previously thought. We also learned which milk formula worked best for them. The whole process was a new experience for us and has helped refine our knowledge.” explained Ms. Jose.

Say Hello to Perth's Giraffe Calf

A 70kg giraffe calf that entered the world in spectacular fashion in full public view at Perth Zoo on the weekend made his public debut today – this time a little more dignified and on his feet, standing tall with mother Misha. Following the birth of the male calf at 1.30pm on Saturday in the giraffe exhibit, the youngster and his mother have been kept off display to give them some quiet time and make sure all is well with the calf.

Photo Credits: Perth Zoo

Checking Back-in with Perth's Baby Orangutan

ZooBorns reader and amateur photographer Sam Finlay-Notman was kind enough to send us some new pictures of happy orangutan family, Puteri and her baby, at the Perth Zoo. As we noted back in November, this baby serves as the Zoo's poster child for an anti-palm oil campaign. Palm oil production is the number one threat to wild Sumatran orangutan populations. Learn what you can do to help here.