NEWS - SPRING HAS SPRUNG WITH ZOO BABIES

Spring has sprung with new zoo babies 

 

September 2, 2011

Spring has sprung quite literally at Taronga Zoo.
An endangered Francois langur monkey, seven koala joeys and a glossy black cockatoo chick (the first at Taronga in seven years) have all been born in recent months.
Many of them are taking advantage of the warmer weather to make their first entrance into the world, the zoo said in a statement yesterday.

The birth on August 20 of the male Francois langur monkey, named Tam Dao, is a particularly welcome addition as his species is critically endangered.
Only 1000 Francois langurs - also known as Francois leaf monkeys - are known to exist in the wild, and Taronga is the only zoo in Australasia to care for the Asian species.
Another young male, Kei-co, was born this year.

Meanwhile, Taronga's koalas have been busy this breeding season, giving birth to seven joeys.
Some of the young, which are born the size of a grain of rice, are still tucked up in their mother's pouches.
But a few proud mothers - Maggie, Wanda and Freya - are showing off their infants.
"We've had quite a baby boom in the zoo this year, which is fantastic," Taronga Zoo spokeswoman Danielle McGill said.
"The warmer spring weather means the animals are getting a lot more active, and a few of the young are beginning to poke their heads out of their mother's pouch."
Taronga's wildlife hospital is also busy at this time of year, caring for newborn animals who have been left orphaned.
A seven-month-old red kangaroo joey and a mob of little possums are being raised by carers who mind them 24 hours a day.
Zookeeper Megan is as busy as a new mum, bottle-feeding the female joey every four hours and carrying her around in a little backpack.
Two of the young possums were brought to the hospital after they were found in their dead mother's pouch after she was hit by a car.
They too are cared for 24 hours a day by a dedicated zookeeper, Bobby-Jo, and Swiss has the distinction of sporting the world's tiniest splint after she fractured her wrist.
The zoo has also bred a glossy black cockatoo chick, which is the first of its kind for seven years at the zoo.
The youngster was hatched by first-time mother Gloucester.
"It is fully feathered now and really quite beautiful," Ms McGill said. "Now is a lovely time to get down to the zoo and watch the animals as they get more active in the warmer weather."
AAP