Zoo Babies
Meet some of the babies currently living at the zoo.
Banded Mongoose
Born August 2, 2010
African Journey
Our banded mongoose baby boom continues!
Five baby banded mongooses, born on August 2, made their exhibit
debut this week. Combined with seven babies born in November,
six babies born in March, and our original seven adults, we now have
25 mongooses in the colony.
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| Five banded mongoose babies were born on August 2. | At just 3 weeks old, the babies are already growing fast. |
"Us babies gotta
stick together!"
All the adults in the colony
help care for the babies.
Swamp Monkey
Born July 3, 2010
African Journey
Our swamp monkey family has a new baby! Female baby Izzy joins
big brother Anderson, age 1-½, and big sister Calvin, age 4. Adult
female Brie and adult male Bangi are the parents of all three
youngsters.
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| Baby Izzy at just 4 days old. | Izzy spends most of her time near mom, but is gradually exploring her surroundings. |
Reticulated
Giraffe
Born June 3, 2010
African Journey
It's a girl! Kesi (pronounced KESS-ee) is the 16th reticulated giraffe born at the zoo. First-time mom Luna is doing an excellent job caring for her new baby. With addition of the new baby, our current giraffe herd has grown to seven!
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| As a first-time mother, Luna is very
protective of her baby. Luna and Kesi will remain off exhibit in the barn for a few weeks while they settle in. |
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| A shy Kesi peeks out of the barn door. | Luna leads Kesi into the barnyard. |
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| Kesi and Luna | A portrait of Kesi at 11 days old. |
Ring-tailed
Lemurs
Born March 8 and 10, 2010
Central Zoo
Female lemur Seiodin gave birth to twins on March 8.
Then, just two days later, her daughter Caera delivered a
single baby!
Ring-tailed lemurs are critically endangered in their native home of
Madagascar, where the forests have been all but destroyed.
These primates are managed by the Species Survival Plan (SSP) of the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
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| Seiodin's one-month-old twin babies get their first look at the outside world in April. |
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| Caera's baby takes a cautious peek over mom's shoulder. |
Dingoes
Born November 4 and November 11, 2009
Australian
Adventure
Our two dingo puppies arrived in
January from the Dingo Discovery Centre in Victoria,
Australia, which is dedicated to the conservation of
pure dingoes. The male pup is named Mattie,
and the female pup is named Naya.
Dingoes are the top predator in Australia, but they are viewed with controversy. Some regard dingoes as a treasured part of Australia’s unique natural history. Others view them as pests. In some parts of Australia, dingoes are trapped, poisoned, and shot.
The zoo looks overseas for pure dingoes because they are not being bred in United States zoos, according to Zoo Animal Curator Mark Weldon. The Dingo Discovery Centre estimates that there are only 75 breeding pairs of pure dingoes in the world. Although they look like domestic dogs, the latest research shows that dingoes are a subspecies of the wolf. Unlike domestic dogs, female dingoes come into heat only once a year. While domestic dogs bark, dingoes howl.
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| Mattie and Naya romp in
the snow on their first day in the exhibit yard
in early March. |
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Naya gets the better of
Mattie in this tussle. |
Ever curious, Naya checks
out the camera. |
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| Naya
surveys her new home in the spring sunshine. |
Both puppies enjoy endless
games of chase. |
Banded Mongoose
Born November 26, 2009
African Journey
A litter of six banded mongoose pups was born in the African Journey on Thanksgiving Day, and we’ve got the pups’ first photos to share with our zoo friends. The three week-old pups, weighing just a few ounces each, are already running, chirping, and playing with the seven adults in our mongoose colony.
Native to Africa’s savannahs and grasslands, banded mongooses are champion chompers with needle-sharp teeth. They munch on insects and small animals, which are excavated using strong claws. Bird eggs are a favorite treat. Mongooses have a strong social bond within their colony, and often sleep together in a furry heap.
The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is one of only four United States Zoos to exhibit the banded mongoose. Watch for updates on the babies as they grow!
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Dead Leaf Mantids
Hatched October 28, 2009
Indonesian Rain Forest
The Indonesian Rain Forest crew experienced a population explosion when dozens of tiny dead leaf mantids hatched this fall. These hatchlings are descended from a group of adult dead leaf mantids acquired from the San Diego Zoo last summer. Dead leaf mantids are one of 2,000 mantid species, such as the praying mantis found in the Midwest.
In August, zoo keeper Dave Messmann watched our female excrete a brown substance the consistency of toothpaste onto the lid of her enclosure. Inside this material, she has laid dozens of tiny eggs. This egg case, know as an ootheca, gradually dries out, and the eggs hatch, each revealing a miniature replica of an adult mantid.
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Reticulated Giraffe
Born October 17, 2009
African Journey
Standing 6 feet, 1-1/2 inches tall and weighing 137 pounds at birth, Zahra is the 15th giraffe to be born at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. She is the third baby born to mother Zuri and father Jelani, who both live at the zoo. Giraffes stand and walk within an hour of birth.
Click here to learn more.
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Black-footed Penguin
Hatched July 7, 2009
Central Zoo
Penguin parents Left Pink and Right Pink cared for their fuzzy hatchling for a few weeks, then zoo keepers brought the chick into the Animal Clinic so it can become accustomed to hand feedings - a routine procedure for all penguin chicks. (Penguins are named for the colored bands clipped around their wings).
The chick, which weighed just 62 grams (about two ounces) at hatching, weighed a whopping 850 grams (almost 2 pounds) just five weeks later! Keepers feed the chick chopped raw fish three times a day. Keepers won't name the chick until it's a little older and its gender is revealed by a blood test. The chick will join the flock on exhibit sometime this fall.
Black-footed penguins are endangered in their native South African coastal habitat.
Update: October 7, 2009 A blood test revealed that the penguin chick is a male! Keepers have named him Hugh. He's now living in the penguin house where he's learning who's who in the penguin flock.
Click here to learn more about penguins. Click here to adopt a penguin.
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Tentacled Snakes
Born May 25, 2009
Indonesian Rain Forest
Five tentacled snakes were born in the exhibit tank in Dr. Diversity’s Rain Forest Research Station. These snakes are named for the two ‘tentacles’ that protrude from their head. Tentacles snakes do not hatch from eggs – they a born alive. Each baby was the size of a pencil at birth.
Click here to learn more about tentacled snakes. Click here to adopt a tentacled snake.
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Swamp Monkey
Born January 8, 2009
African Journey
If you’re looking nonstop action, look no further than the swamp monkey exhibit in the African Journey, baby monkey Anderson is on the move. Anderson likes to bother his 3-year-old sister Calvin, climb on parents Bree and Bangi, and dangle precariously from branches in the swamp monkey exhibit. Although these monkeys are known to swim, Anderson has yet to “dive in” to the exhibit’s small pond.
Click here to learn more about swamp monkeys.
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Spectacled Langur
Born October 8, 2008
Indonesian Rain Forest
Kaya the spectacled langur is a very special baby. She was rejected by her mother Samsara, so zoo keepers hand reared her until she was about eight months old. Now the long process of introducing Kaya to the langur troop is underway. Kaya currently lives in a “howdy cage” next to the langur exhibit so she can see, hear, and smell the adults prior to their introduction.
While adult spectacled langurs are grey, baby langurs are bright orange for the first six months of life. These monkeys get their name from the bold white markings around the adults' eyes, which look like eyeglasses or "spectacles."
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welcomes all of these
zoo babies!