The Newest, Cutest Baby Animals from the World's Zoos & Aquariums

Category: Naples Zoo

  • Naples Zoo Announces Birth of Critically Endangered Eastern Bongo

    ,

    Naples Zoo is celebrating the birth of a critically endangered Eastern bongo calf – their first baby of 2021. Five-year-old bongo, Amara, gave birth to a female calf at approximately 6:00 pm Sunday, January 17, 2021. The calf weighs 46 pounds and stands approximately 2 feet tall.

    The calf received a neonatal exam from the Zoo's licensed veterinary technician and was found to be healthy and thriving. The full examination included taking the calf’s temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, an eye exam, determining weight, listening to the heart and lung sounds, checking the suckle response and an examination for a cleft palate. The examination also revealed that the new calf is a female.

    DSC04037

    DSC04072 edited

    This is Amara’s third calf – but it is the first female. Amara’s first male calf, Bakari, was born in January 2019 and her second calf, Makumi, was born in December of 2019. The Hoofstock keepers named this little one Amali, which means "hope" in Swahili.

    (more…)

  • Naples Zoo Celebrates Birth of Clouded Leopard Sisters

    ,

    1_Naples Zoo_Clouded Leopard_kittens

    Naples Zoo is celebrating the birth of two endangered Clouded Leopard kittens. First time mother, Tika, gave birth to kitten one at 7:49 am Friday, February 22, and kitten two arrived at 8:32 am. Both kittens are female. The first-born kitten weighed 262 grams, and kitten two weighed 244 grams.

    2_Naples Zoo_Clouded Leopard_kitten one 1

    3_Naples Zoo_Clouded Leopard_kitten two 1

    4_Naples Zoo_Clouded Leopard_kitten one 3Photo Credits: Naples Zoo

    Clouded Leopard kittens are born with their eyes and ears closed. They typically open within 10 to 14 days. The kittens are being bottle-fed and will be hand-reared by Naples Zoo's animal care staff. This has proven to be the best practice for the species and has generated the best results in terms of the health and well being of Clouded Leopard kittens. The kittens are not yet named, but the Zoo will announce their names soon. Currently, the kittens are not on exhibit at the Zoo.

    Clouded Leopards are listed as “Endangered” by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, under the United States Endangered Species Act. They are classified as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. The species is under significant pressure in the wild from human encroachment and destruction of its habitat, as well as poaching. The cats, which live in the forests and trees of Southeast Asia, are elusive, and it's difficult to know how many remain in the wild.

    The Clouded Leopard parents, Tika and Masala, arrived at Naples Zoo in September of 2016 from two different facilities to contribute to the future of their species. The pair was specifically matched by the Species Survival Plan(r) (SSP) based on their ancestry, in an effort to create the greatest genetic diversity in the population over the next century. Naples Zoo is pleased to be a part of this critical program to sustain the Clouded Leopard population in Zoos.

    5_Naples Zoo_Clouded Leopard_kitten one

    6_Naples Zoo_Clouded Leopard_kitten two

    7_Naples Zoo_Clouded Leopard_kitten two2

  • Meet Baku and Cleo!

    , ,

    10175071_722103604495312_3405949473908187480_n

    As adults, Africa’s Serval cats are one of the world’s most successful hunters. But as kittens, these future spotted killers are one of the cutest creatures you’ve ever seen. Making their debut this week in Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens, the brother and sister Servals are just two months old. You can see them in the new Animal Training Session presentations held daily in the Zoo’s Safari Canyon theater at 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

    10441466_722103547828651_130047159443107379_n

    10297576_722103651161974_5151875061615866045_n

    10445463_722156591156680_8278048386522109836_n

    10403770_722364851135854_4660617786301962995_o

    10321758_642534142505539_6388380599564097033_o

    Related articles

    Zoo Boise Serves Up Two Serval Kittens!
    Meet Sheldon the Playful Serval Cub at Point Defiance Zoo

  • A Prickly Bundle of Porcupine Joy

    , ,
    This baby Cape porcupine was born eight weeks ago at the Naples Zoo weighing just 1 lb, but since then the prickly critter has grown to seven times her birth weight! Like all porcupines, at birth the little girl's quills were soft like hair but began to harden almost immediately. 

    Handle with care
    Cape porcupine baby naples zoo 2 rs
    Cape porcupine baby naples zoo 1 rs
    Rock-on little porcu
    Cape porcupine baby naples zoo 1 close up

    (more…)