This Father’s Day Cotswold Wildlife Park is delighted to announce the birth of Critically Endangered Cotton-top Tamarins twins and celebrate one of the most devoted dads in the animal kingdom.
Human dads receive plenty of recognition on Father’s Day, celebrated this year on Sunday June 18, but the animal kingdom also has its share of committed fathers. While many males play a role in the rearing of their young, Cotton-top Tamarin fathers go above and beyond when it comes to raising their offspring.
We just had to share this heartwarming vision of three-year-old Zola playing at 'being mum' with little chimp, Happy.
In the film you can see Zola carefully preparing a nest for her 'make believe' baby (actually a stone), then being allowed to carry her little troop friend, five-month-old Happy, under the close supervision of mum Hannah before lastly, having a careful cuddle with the very wriggly one while Hannah watches on.
"Zola has always had a very maternal side and we have often caught her playing with rocks and building nests for her stones, even picking them up and carrying in her leg pocket as some ape mother's do. Since Happy was born, Hannah has been allowing Zola to get closer and closer to her baby boy. Recently she was allowed to carry him under Hannah's guidance and often has him in her lap," says Laura Hanley, Senior Keeper Primates, Monarto Safari Park.
"While sister Hope is interested in her brother, Zola is infatuated," finished Laura.
Chimpanzees, like humans, are highly social animals and often share the caring of young.
Monarto Safari Park is home to troop of 13 Chimpanzees and supports the Jane Goodall Institute Australia as well as Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone.
For more information about the Chimpanzee troop and how you can support the species conservation, please visit monartosafari.com.au.
Starting today, June 5, western lowland gorilla fans will have an opportunity to vote on a name for a baby gorilla born May 27 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI). Every western lowland gorilla birth is cause for celebration as this species is considered critically endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature. This morning, primate keepers threw a party for the gorilla troop, and festive enrichment revealed that the newborn is female. Voters can select their favorite names today through noon Friday, June 9, on the Zoo’s website. The winning name will be announced June 9.
Conservationists at Chester Zoo are celebrating the birth of a rare Sulawesi crested macaque monkey – one of the world’s most endangered primates.
The new arrival, who is yet to be sexed or named, was born on 16 May to proud new mum Rumple and dad Mamassa.
In the wild the charismatic primates face numerous threats including habitat loss as a result of deforestation, illegal logging and the expansion of farming land, as well as hunting and the illegal pet trade.
On Sunday at 9 PM, Mei, a white-handed gibbon, became a first-time mother.
Oakland, CA – May 31, 2023… Oakland Zoo is celebrating the arrival of its newest resident, a white-handed gibbon baby, born this past weekend to parents Mei (female, age 12) and Rainier (male, age 11). Animal care staff observed, via live cam, as Mei began laboring at 3 PM on Sunday in the gibbon’s nighthouse. Six hours later, she successfully gave birth and immediately began demonstrating excellent maternal care by cradling and nursing her newborn baby. The delivery comes after a four-year-long courtship between Mei and Rainier, both as first-time parents who were introduced at Oakland Zoo after coming from other AZA-accredited zoos in 2019. Gibbons mate for life, and pairs become closely bonded, vocalizing duets in the mornings.
For the first time in five years, primate staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) are celebrating the birth of a western lowland gorilla—a critically endangered species. It was born between midnight and 6:15 a.m. on May 27 to 20-year-old mother Calaya and 31-year-old father Baraka. They bred in September 2022 following a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan (SSP). This is the second offspring for both parents.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Lion Country Safari welcomed a baby chimpanzee to its troop on Jan. 28, the second chimp baby born at the facility in a little over a year. The baby is making her debut on the island habitats in the preserve, and guests driving through the safari may see her clinging to mom.
This baby has been named Lili in honor of the Tonkolili Chimpanzee Project, a conservation initiative in Sierra Leone. Due to the status of chimpanzees in the wild and the low number of births in the population, this birth is especially rare and significant for the conservation of the species. Her birth contributes to the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan (SSP), a national collaboration to save them from extinction.
This time last year, Twycross Zoo celebrated the arrival of a new baby bonobo, the first to be born in the UK since 2019. In 2023, Twycross Zoo is celebrating it’s 60th anniversary and is proud to be the only zoo in the UK home to the bonobo species of great ape, human’s closest living relatives. To highlight the significance of Upendi’s birth, for this endangered species, we’re re-sharing the amazing story…
London Zoo celebrates not so slow start to the year with birth of adorable baby sloth
London Zoo has shared adorable pictures and footage of its first 2023 arrival – a baby two-toed sloth, born on New Year’s Day.
Knowing 16-year-old sloth Marilyn was due any day, zookeepers had kept a close eye on the mum-to-be over Christmas and were thrilled to finally spot two big brown eyes peering out through her fur.
