Animal News
Rare Babirusa Pig Born
The
Houston Zoo recorded a first on May 21 with the birth of a rare and endangered
babirusa pig. The new arrival is named
Hadiah (pronounced: huh-DI-ah). Her name means “gift” in an Indonesian language. Hadiah weighed approximately one pound at birth and she immediately captured the hearts of her keepers. The newborn may be seen daily on exhibit at the Zoo’s
Wortham World of Primates with her mother Remley. Hadiah is Remley’s first birth.
Baby Prairie Dogs Born at the Houston Zoo
View Baby Prairie Dog photo gallery.
They’re cute, adorable, furry and oh so quick. They’re the newest arrivals at the Houston Zoo – three
black-tailed prairie dogs born approximately six weeks ago at the Zoo’s McGovern Children’s Zoo and just now emerging from their burrow. They’ve been scampering around the Children’s Zoo’s prairie dog exhibit for a few days now and will stay fairly close to their mother for several more weeks. The best time to see the pups is late morning or mid to late afternoon.
The black-tailed prairie dog is a member of the squirrel family. Of the five species of prairie dogs in western North America, only the black-tailed prairie dog lives in the Great Plains. It’s distinguishable by its black-tipped tail, brown fur, large black eyes, and short legs and sharp claws developed for digging burrows.
Prairie dogs are colonial animals that live in complex networks of tunnels with multiple openings. Colonies are easily identified by the raised-borrow entrances that give the diminutive prairie dogs some extra height when acting as sentries and watching for predators or signs of danger. The tunnels contain separate “rooms” for sleeping, rearing young and storing food.
Social animals, prairie dogs live in closely knit family groups called “coteries” which usually contain an adult male, one or more adult females, and their young offspring. Prairie dogs have a complex system of communication that includes a variety of pitched warning barks that signal different types of predators. Prairie dogs earned their name from settlers traveling across the plains who thought these warning calls sounded similar to dogs barking.
Rare Monkey Birth at the Houston Zoo
First Birth of Schmidt’s Red Tailed Guenon at Houston Zoo in 29 Years
The Houston Zoo is proud to announce the birth of a rare monkey at Wortham World of Primates. The arrival of the
Schmidt’s red tailed guenon baby marks the first birth of the species at the Zoo in 29 years.
“The new arrival is a boy and his name is Matani,” said primate supervisor Dena Strange. “Matani (Pron: muh-TAN-ee) means ‘strength’ in Swahili and the baby is living up to his name. He’s very strong and healthy. His mother, Malaika is being a great mom,” added Strange. The baby’s father, Kabili arrived at the Zoo in 2006 with several other monkeys recovered from the bushmeat and illegal pet trade in Africa.
“This is and important birth for the Houston Zoo and the species,” said Strange. “We haven’t had a guenon birth at the Zoo in 29 years and this is Kabili’s first offspring. That’s important for the population since there are only 37 of these monkeys living in 10 zoos in this country,” added Strange. While the Schmidt’s red tailed guenon is not critically endangered, the species is protected by an international agreement.
Found in the Central African Republic, Kenya, and Uganda, Schmidt’s red-tailed guenons have white noses and long red tails. Their tails provide balance as they move through trees looking for their favorite foods – fruits, leaves, and insects. In the wild they live in small groups in swamp forests and forests surrounding rivers. They are considered a threatened species due to habitat destruction from deforestation.
It’s a Boy! A BIG boy!
The Houston Zoo is proud to announce a new addition to its herd of Masai giraffes.
Born to mother Tyra on Friday, January 25, "Jack", weighed in at 158 pounds and stands 6-feet 3-inches tall. Zoo keepers report mother and baby are doing well. Both Tyra and the calf can be seen daily in the giraffe exhibit. Tyra is 9 years old. The baby’s father, Kiva is 12 years old.
With the arrival of Tyra’s calf, the Houston Zoo is now home to six giraffes. In addition to Tyra and Kiva the herd includes Noel, Topper, and Neema.
Neema, Noel’s calf was born in August of last year. Topper was born to Tyra in August of 2006.
The Zoo is making plans now for a new giraffe exhibit near the Wildlife Carousel. The projected opening date is late 2009 or early 2010.
Giraffes are the tallest living terrestrial animal. The average male is about 17 feet tall and can weigh 3,000 pounds. An average female giraffe is over 14 feet tall.
While Masai giraffes are not considered threatened or endangered in their native habitat (Tanzania and southern Kenya) there are only 82 of them living in zoos worldwide. Giraffe breeding at the Houston Zoo follows guidelines established by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Population Management Plan (PMP) program.
