You might remember fossas from the film Madagascar, which is also the name of the island they are native to, but today you can see them in Omaha, Nebraska. The Henry Doorly Zoo has just introduced two fossa cubs to visitors.
Fossa are carnivores and they primarily eat lemurs. The are part of the mongoose family and can weigh up to 30 lbs. when fully grown.
For more information, visit Omaha.com, and for a video of the fossas, visit KETV.com.
A female Indian rhino is about to become the first of her species to give birth after conceiving through artificial insemination. The birth will be the reward for eight years of research for Cincinnati Zoo scientist Monica Stoops. For conservationists this birth is an important step in the effort to protect Indian rhino populations.
In April we wrote about Lonely Lilly, a meerkat without a mate. To aid in her quest for love, the owners of the park she lives in created a website called Meerkat Match. It was through the website that Lilly met the meerkat of her dreams, Mr. Darcy.
It must have been love at first sight because Lilly is now the proud mother of four!
SeaWorld rehabilitation experts have been working around the clock tending to a baby manatee orphan. Every three hours, the 3.5-foot, 41-pound marine mammal is bottle-fed with a nutrient-rich formula. Every other day, the animal care specialists weigh the manatee and monitor her progress. Although her condition remains guarded, park veterinarians hope to eventually release her back into the wild.
The manatee, just weeks old, was rescued from the waters of Daytona Beach, Florida and transported to SeaWorld by the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission.
In the wild, all three species of manatee are considered threatened by the IUCN Redlist. The Florida manatee subspecies is considered endangered. Threats include habitat destruction, red tide, and boating accidents.
SeaWorld animal care specialist Jeff Braso bottle-feeds a baby manatee, Tuesday, July 27, at SeaWorld’s Rescue & Rehabilitation Center in Orlando, Fla. The park’s animal staff has been providing 24-hour care for the animal since she was orphaned by her mother in Daytona Beach, Fla. on July 24, 2010. (Photo by SeaWorld Orlando)
A pair of African lions made their public debut in Israel on Sunday at the Zoological Center Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan. The two female cubs were given a check-up and vaccinations while the press watched.
Two male baby giraffes, born April 8 and April 24, were introduced to the rest of the giraffe herd in the Busch Gardens’ Serengeti Plain habitat. The Serengeti Plain is a 65-acre, naturalistic habitat featuring a diverse population of free-roaming African animals including giraffe, zebra, white rhinoceros, eland antelope and several other species of hoof stock and birds.
Visitors can view the new additions from the Serengeti Express or on a Serengeti Safari, an open-truck tour of the plain.
On June 15 the National Zoo welcomed its second baby kiwi since March. The chicks are both female and doing well. The zoo has set up a camera to observe the new chick via the internet. You can watch it here; the best time see the chick is in the evening as kiwi are nocturnal.
Kiwi are native to New Zealand. There are five species, all of which are endangered. The main threats to kiwi are habitat loss and invasive mammals.
Fun fact: The kiwi lays the largest egg in relation to its body size of any species of bird.
A tawny frogmouth chick, hatched April 11, 2010 at SeaWorld Orlando, reaches for a bite to eat.
This tawny frogmouth chick, shown being fed by its mother, is the 24th chick bred by SeaWorld aviculturists over the past 10 years. In the past, tawny frogmouth breeding programs were largely unsuccessful, and populations in North American zoos dwindled. But SeaWorld worked with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to improve captive breeding methods, and the program has helped strengthen population numbers. The little guy pictured above is the first chick in the program to be raised by its parents, instead of hand-reared by aviculturists.
Tawny frogmouths inhabit the savannas and open woodlands of Australia. When threatened, they rely on camouflage for protection.
A pair of red-ruffed lemurs have been born at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The two were born on April 21st of this year to Maditra and Bozeny, who have lived at the zoo for 3 years. The babies are still too young to have their gender identified and they have not been given names yet. Once full-grown they will weigh between 8-10 lbs.
Read about the red-ruffed lemur’s cousin the ring-tailed lemur at Animal Fact Guide.
You might remember fossas from the film Madagascar, which is also the name of the island they are native to, but today you can see them in Omaha, Nebraska. The Henry Doorly Zoo has just introduced two fossa cubs to visitors.
On June 15 the National Zoo welcomed its second baby kiwi since March. The chicks are both female and doing well. The zoo has set up a camera to observe the new chick via the internet. You can watch it 
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