Joy as rare baby chimpanzee is born at Chester Zoo

 

 Birth of rare chimpanzee delights conservationists at Chester Zoo

 Heartwarming footage shows baby being held closely by new mum Alice

Adorable infant joins a group of 21 at the zoo which is vitally important to future of the species

 Zoo conservationists are working to protect some of Africa’s rarest chimpanzees in the wild as numbers decline across the continent

A rare baby chimpanzee has been born at Chester Zoo.

The new male infant arrived to mum Alice in front of astonished zoo visitors following an eight-month pregnancy.

Newly released images of the tiny newborn show it being carefully cradled by mum and other female relatives in the 21-strong group.

The chimpanzees at Chester are part of an international conservation breeding programme which sees European zoos working together, using the latest scientific technologies to determine the genetic makeup of each chimpanzee, to create a safety-net population to help prevent the primates from disappearing altogether.

Human-related activities such as the illegal wildlife trade and poaching have severely impacted chimpanzee populations in many parts of Africa. Deforestation, driven by agricultural expansion and logging, has significantly reduced their natural habitats into smaller and more fragmented territories.

Mike Jordan, Animal & Plant Director at the zoo, said:

“A new birth always sparks some real excitement within the chimpanzee group here at Chester. While Alice and her new baby are certainly centre of attention among the other chimpanzees they’re still finding some quiet time to get to know one another and can often be seen cuddled up together. What’s also great to see is that some of the others in the group, especially the younger females, are really intrigued by the new baby and are learning all about motherhood from Alice. This is an important learning curve for them and this experience can be really useful for when they hopefully go on to have babies of their own. A thriving conservation breeding programme is key to the long-term protection of these animals.

“For nearly 30 years our teams have worked on the ground in Uganda, Nigeria and Gabon in Africa, working hand in hand with wildlife authorities, in-country partners and local communities in an effort protect some of the world’s rarest wild chimpanzee populations and their forest homes. These collective efforts, paired with the conservation breeding programme in zoos, gives us hope that we can create a future where chimpanzees thrive long into the future.”

Meet the rare baby anteater who'll spend around 10 months riding on mum's back!


Chester Zoo welcomes rare giant anteater pup

Birth and charming early moments caught by zoo’s hidden den cameras

Tiny youngster measures just 60cm but will grow to more than two metres in length   

Arrival hailed as “incredibly positive news” for the shy species  

Giant anteaters are vulnerable to extinction in Central and South America due to habitat loss and road kills

Chester Zoo’s conservationists are supporting vital research in Brazil to help prevent the high numbers of anteaters falling victim to road deaths and protect both people and wildlife

A rare baby giant anteater has been born at Chester Zoo.           The yet-to-be-named youngster is only the third of its kind to be born at the zoo in its 92-year history.
Hidden cameras in the anteater’s den captured the birth showing the baby born safely onto the ground before climbing onto mum only a few moments later. 

Experts say the pup will now cling to its mum’s back for around 10 months, where its matching stripe on its fur keeps it camouflaged, until it is ready to walk, explore and find food independently.
Currently measuring in at around 60cm, giant anteaters can grow up to 2.1m (7 feet) in length.
Born to Bliss (13) and Oso (nine), the pup is the result of an international conservation breeding programme working to protect endangered and at-risk species.
Giant anteaters are listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on the IUCN Red List, with numbers continuing to decline in the wild. 

David White, Team Manager in charge of caring for giant anteaters at the zoo, said:
“Mum Bliss is so far doing an excellent job of looking after her new arrival and seeing the baby clinging on tightly to her back is a really special sight.
“Giant anteaters are truly fascinating animals. Despite their large size when fully grown, they feed mostly on tiny insects and can devour up to 30,000 ants or termites in a day. This diet of little invertebrates means they don’t have any teeth. Instead they use their sticky tongues to feed – these can reach two metres in length and can extend and withdraw at up to 150 times per minute. For the time being though, the baby is feeding from mum’s milk – crawling to her underbelly to suckle before climbing back around to rest on her back. The pup will take up this position for around 10 months as its matching fur helps keep it camouflaged, while also making mum look bigger and therefore more off-putting to would-be predators.
“With giant anteaters being vulnerable to extinction the birth is incredibly positive news for the species. It’s a boost to the safety net population being cared for in conservation zoos like ours, while we’re continuing to learn more about them and, at the same time, create more awareness of the majesty of the species.”

Native to Central and South America, giant anteaters are threatened in both regions, where much of the grassland they depend on to survive has been destroyed, degraded or damaged by fire. In some areas of Brazil, where they once roamed freely, there are now none remaining. 

Research supported by conservationists at the zoo now also points to another major factor in the demise of giant anteaters – road deaths.
Paul Bamford, the zoo’s Field Conservation Manager for South and Central America, said:
“Very few long-term studies of giant anteaters have ever been carried out by the global conservation community, meaning it’s challenging to implement effective conservation actions for these unique-looking animals. It’s not easy to protect a species without an in-depth understanding of what’s happening to them. 

“However, we’re working with our partners in Brazil, the Wild Animal Conservation Institute (ICAS), to carry out vital research to redress this - by assessing the impact of road deaths on giant anteaters over thousands of miles of roads. Such high numbers of collisions with motorists have been recorded that it’s now believed to be one of the main threats to the species after habitat loss.
“GPS collars fitted to giant anteaters are giving us an insight on when and how they cross roads so that hotspots can be identified and strategies can be put in place to help reduce the high numbers of anteaters falling victim to collisions. Camera trap imagery is also helping to provide us with accurate data on population sizes living close to roads. 

“Working together with motorists to understand perceptions and attitudes towards the species is also critical for developing effective protection measures, such as tailored road signs, to minimize collisions and the associated risks to both people and anteaters. 

“This field work, coupled with our care and conservation breeding of giant anteaters at the zoo, is critical to understanding more about this wonderful animal and protecting future generations.”

Giant anteater facts

 

The baby giant anteater at Chester Zoo was born on 12/03/2023

The giant anteater is aptly named as it is the world’s largest species of anteater

A giant anteater can devour up to 30,000 ants in a day

An anteater's tongue can reach two feet in length, and is covered in sticky saliva, allowing it to trap ants. It can extend and withdraw it up to 150 times per minute

Giant anteaters walk on their wrists

 Males can weigh up to 50kg and reach 2m in length

A single offspring is produced after a gestation period of 190 days. They are carried on their mother's back, aligned with the white stripe, so that they are very well camouflaged

The species is classified as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which monitors endangered animals

Joy as first baby aardvark is born at Chester Zoo

Sleepy baby aardvark is pictured snuggling up to new mum, Oni

Calf is being hand-reared by conservationists who are providing around-the-clock care for the youngster

Zookeepers have nicknamed the new arrival ‘Dobby’ after its close resemblance to the beloved Harry Potter character

Bizarre-looking baby has ‘giant ears, wrinkly hairless skin and giant claws’

The species is threatened in the wild by habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict and hunting

An adorable aardvark has been born at Chester Zoo for the first time in the charity’s 90-year history.


Conservationists at the zoo were “overjoyed” to discover the new arrival snuggled up with mum Oni (8) and dad Koos (6) after it had been born overnight on 4 January.


The calf, born with large droopy ears, hairless wrinkled skin and giant claws, is currently being hand-reared every evening by zookeepers who are providing dedicated care, feeding the baby every few hours through the night for around five weeks, to help it gain strength.


The sex of the new calf is yet to be determined but staff have nicknamed the youngster Dobby due to its resemblance to the much-loved Harry Potter character.


Aardvarks are native in sub-Saharan Africa where they are threatened by habitat loss as a result of agricultural development, which also bring them into conflict with local farmers. They are also hunted for their meat.


Dave White, Team Manager at the zoo, said:


“This is the very first aardvark to be born at the zoo and so it’s a momentous landmark for us and a real cause for celebration. We’re overjoyed.


“As soon as we spotted the new baby next to mum we noticed its uncanny resemblance to the Harry Potter character, Dobby, and so that’s the calf’s nickname for the time being! We won’t though know for certain whether it’s male or female for several more weeks until the calf is a little older. 


“Aardvark parents are notorious for being a little clumsy around their newborns. With the baby being so tiny and fragile, we’re therefore protecting it from any accidental knocks and bumps by helping mum out with supplementary feeding sessions throughout the night, just until the calf is a little stronger. So, in the evening, when the parents are out exploring and feeding, we carefully place the calf into a special incubator and take it home to feed with warm milk every few hours. The calf then spends the daytime bonding and snuggled up with mum Oni inside her burrow – and they’re both doing great together.”




With only 66 aardvarks found in zoos across Europe, and a mere 109 in zoos worldwide, Chester is one of just a small number of zoos caring for the species.


Mark Brayshaw, Curator of Mammals at the zoo, added:


“Aardvarks are quite secretive creatures, which are mostly only ever active in darkness, and so some aspects of how they go about their lives remain relatively unknown. Caring for species like aardvarks in zoos enables us to learn more about them - how they live, their behaviours and their biology. All of this information is then shared with other leading conservation zoos and helps to better inform our efforts to preserve their numbers.


“This new calf joins a conservation breeding programme that only a handful of zoos are part of globally.”


The word aardvark translates to “earth pig” in the language of Afrikaans. The nocturnal animals use their long noses and keen sense of smell to sniff out ants and termites, which they lap up with a long tongue measuring up to 25cm, covered in sticky saliva. Aardvarks use their powerful claws to tear open termite mounds, as well as to dig underground burrows in which they sleep.

This spring, Chester Zoo’s new campaign, Discover Something New, will throw an important spotlight on unusual and lesser known species, like aardvarks. For more, visit: https://www.chesterzoo.org/discover-something-new/