ZooBorns

Rare Bongo Calf Bolsters Conservation Program at Taronga Zoo

Taronga Zoo is celebrating the birth of a rare animal, a female Eastern Bongo calf, on April 2 in the early hours. Keepers watching on closed circuit TV cameras were delighted to witness the perfect maternal instincts that first-time mother Djembe showed in cleaning the newborn. The baby suckled within two hours. She's been named Kiazi, which means sweet potato. 

Bongos have a magnificent red-brown hide with white stripes on the shoulders and back that helps to camouflage them in the jungle. Adults can weigh up to 880 pounds (400 kg) and have splendid spiral horns which they lay back along their shoulders by tilting their heads so they can run through their jungle habitat without becoming entangled.

Eastern or Highlands Bongos are listed as Critically Endangered with as few as 75 animals remaining in small groups of 6-12 in their Kenyan upland range. Numbers of the highland Bongo collapsed due to poaching. Sadly there are now more bongos in human care than there are in the wild. Djembe and her calf share the exhibit with Djembe’s mother, Nambala, so for the first time visitors can see three generations of Bongo together. 

Photo Credit: Taronga Zoo 

Taronga Western Plains' Meerkat Pups Venture Out

At Taronga Western Plains Zoo, three Meerkat pups have recently started to emerge from the den under the watchful eye of mother, Umi, and father, Brock. The three pups are doing really well. They are very bold, and have started to venture out from their den much earlier than Taronga's previous litters. The older meerkats in the group are acting as good role models for the new-born pups. Mother Umi has now had three litters since arriving in November 2010. Including the new arrivals, this brings the zoo's total number of meerkats on display to 12. Did you know that the dark patches around meerkats' eyes lessen the desert glare and that their ears can close in the event of a sand storm?

Photo credits: Karen Ellis

Many more photos below the fold...

A Star is Born at Taronga Zoo

Meet the newest ‘star’ at Australia's Taronga Zoo! Not only is the hatchling an Indian Star tortoise, but this is only the second time Taronga’s reptile keepers have bred this species in 30 years. The little one hatched on January 24 from the only fertile egg in the clutch. At two weeks of age now, the hatchling is smaller than a 50 cent coin. By the time it reaches maturity it will weigh over 15 pounds (7 kilos) -- though that won’t be for six to 12 years, depending on its sex.

Looking at the youngster's shell now, you might wonder as to it's name, but as an adult it will have very distinctive star-like patterns across its high-domed shell.

Right from the start the hatchling was independent, but because it's so tiny, it’s being specially cared for behind the scenes by the keepers. Guests to Taronga's Reptile World will be able to see the adult Star tortoises on display and might even glimpse the hatchling’s three year old cousin which is just beginning to move in with the adults. In the wild, Star tortoises are threatened by hunting, habitat loss and their appeal in the pet trade.

Photo Credit: Taronga Zoo/

 

More photos after the jump!

What's a Feathertail Glider?

Meet one of Taronga Zoo's tiniest new arrivals. It’s hard to believe that this Feathertail Glider is too big for its mom’s pouch. It moved into the nest box about a week ago with its siblings. Australian Feather-tail Gliders are the world’s smallest gliding mammals. Thanks to their special gliding membrane, Feather-tails can glide for up to 20 meters. Their feathered tail (which is – Surprise! – where their name comes from) also acts as a rudder when they fly, thus helping the Gliders to steer. Although one of the lesser known Australian animals, the Feather-tail Glider used to feature on Australia's one-cent coin before it was taken out of circulation.

Photo credit: Robert Dockerill

Her Name is Rio and She Fits Inside Your Hands

Rio, the first baby Agouti to be hand-raised at Australia's Taronga Zoo in 22 years, is chock full of personality. Born on December 8th, Rio is being hand-raised by keeper Simon Brown, as her mother passed away suddenly after her birth. Keeper Brown is ensuring a healthy transition to life at the zoo's Education center, by slowly but steadily helping her get accommodated to her new surroundings. You can learn all about Agouti's big adventure here on Taronga's blog post about her.

Meet "Muppet", Taronga Zoo's Andean Condor Chick

Taronga Zoo’s bird Keepers are celebrating the hatching of a very precious Andean Condor chick. The parents, Connie and Bruce, are the only breeding pair in Australasia and their Keepers were hopeful that this breeding season the pair would produce two offspring.

To help the parents achieve this, the Bird Team incubated the first egg they laid. On the November 23, after two months of very careful monitoring and special conditions (including regular candling to check that the egg was healthy and had good vein development), a very strong chick pushed her way out of the egg, much to the delight of all!

This chick became even more of a triumph for the Zoo as the second egg, which the parents subsequently laid and incubated themselves, didn’t make it.

Taronga’s Keepers are currently hand raising the youngster who is thriving. The very curious female, who is yet being called "Muppet" in lieu of any here-to-fore official name, will eventually be a star in the QBE Free Flight Bird Show, swooping her massive wing span across the audience as she flies on to stage and educates people about her wild cousins which are threatened in the wild. 

Photo Credit: Taronga Zoo

 

Taronga Tiger Cub Tuesday!

How better to say Happy New Year than with updated pictures on the trio of Sumantran Tiger cubs at Australia's Taronga Zoo? You can read all about these beautiful babies on ZooBorns both HERE and HERE.  The three, Sakti, Kartika and Kembali, are full of energy and play - and keep mom Jumilah on her paws... as seen in the video below.

These three cubs are a valuable boost to this critically endangered species.There are now more tigers in world zoos than in the wild (as few as 400), so zoo breeding programs are vital. 

Photo Credit: Bobby-Jo Clow

UPDATE: Tarongas' Three Tiger Cubs Have a Penchant for Mischief

You may have first met these Sumantran tiger cubs from Taronga Zoo in Sydney on Zooborns' October blog post. Then the cubs, born in late August, were just beginning to go out in the habitat for an hour or two. Now they are thriving and growing - as evidenced in these photos taken by Zoo visitor Chris Kaas.  

Zoo Carnivore Supervisor, Louise Ginman said: “The three cubs are developing very quickly and watching mum’s every move. It’s great to see their individual personalities grow and the natural instincts displayed as they spend longer on exhibit."

"Kembali, the first-born male is very much like his father and can be unpredictable at times, which definitely keeps us on our toes," Louise continues, "whereas Sakti, the third-born is very calm and takes things in his stride. Kartika, the second and only female cub born, is definitely the most playful and adventurous, making sure she is the first to test out everything.” 

There are now more tigers in world zoos than in the wild (as few as 400), so zoo breeding programs are vital. These three cubs are a valuable boost to this critically endangered species.

Photo Credit: Chris Kara

More pictures and conservation information after the jump.

Baby Sugar Glider is Saved From Angry Birds!

This young Sugar Glider joey was found on a road about an hour drive from Sydney's Taronga Zoo being attacked by birds. Taronga vets discovered a small wound on her leg and Wildlife Nurse Annabelle took her home for round-the-clock-care. She’s now doing really well and has just moved into the Zoo’s Nocturnal House at Wild Australia. Sugar Gliders are nocturnal Marsupials native to Mainland Australia. Their most striking feature is a patagium, or membrane that stretches from their hands to their feet, allowing them to actually glide 50 - 150 meters. That's about a football field and a half! Great save Taronga!

Photo credit: Taronga Zoo

Tiger Triplets a Great Achievement for Taronga Zoo

Three Sumatran Tiger cubs  - two male and one female - were born at Taronga Zoo in the early hours of August 20. They came into the world one hour apart, to mother ‘Jumilah’ and father, ‘Satu’, as zoo keepers monitored the labor from nearby. These babies are a valuable boost to this critically endangered species, seeing as there are as few as 400 left in the wild. 

Carnivore Supervisor Louise Ginman said: “The whole Zoo is ecstatic at the birth of three healthy little tigers, especially all the carnivore keepers. Satu was brought to Taronga from Germany as part of the international zoo breeding program for Sumatran Tigers to mate with our Taronga-born female Jumilah and introduce new genetics to our region.”

“The female is really cheeky, with a lot of attitude and is the first one to check out new things. The boys are more cautious, but they’re growing in confidence and body size each day, now tipping the scales over 13 pounds (6 kg) each. I was here when their mother was born, so to see her rear her own cubs and be such a great mother really is a highlight of my career.”

Initially, the cubs will spend a very short time on exhibit with their mother, as the youngsters tire easily. As they get older, they’ll spend more time out and about.

 Photo Credit: Taronga Zoo