2020 - 2021 Baby Boom

Auckland Zoo is “twinning” with the birth of two Emperor tamarin babies. Proud parents Ladino and Rose are already experienced parents, having raised their first offspring, female Isla, last year, who’s now proving a very helpful big sister. At four weeks old, the yet-to-be-sexed twins are exploring their rainforest habitat as wee ‘baby backpacks’ and taking in the sights and sounds.  

Auckland Zoo is also celebrating the hatching of four tiny Galapagos tortoises, the most hatched from a single clutch to date within the small Australasian zoo population (16 animals) of this ‘Endangered’ giant reptile. The four hatchlings (increasing the Australasian population by a quarter) are the offspring of parents, 50-year-old mum Chippie and 49-year-old dad Smiley and hatched on 26 January.
“It’s a very exciting upward turn that we hope reflects the sweet spot we’ve hit after years of incrementally refining our husbandry for this species,” says Auckland Zoo’s Ectotherms team leader, Don McFarlane.

SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium’s Penguin Playground proudly hatched a fluffy little chick as part of the ninth successful King penguin breeding season! The chick was born to long-time couple, Ernie and Hudson, on 2 February. The aquarium celebrated the birth with two weeks of “Little King” activities to help guests learn about Sub-Antarctic penguin chicks!

Emperor Tamarin twins, Auckland Zoo

Giant Tortoise hatchlings, Auckland Zoo

King penguin chick, SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium

Black rhino calf, Taronga Western Plains Zoo

Experienced mother, Bakhita, gave birth to a black rhino calf at Taronga Western Plains Zoo on 24 February. The calf is the first female black rhino born at the Dubbo Zoo and the fourth calf born into the program in the last six years.

“The calf is especially important as it carries the legacy of our Black Rhino breeding bull, Kwanzaa who sadly passed away in 2020,” said zoo director, Steve Hinks.

Wildlife Reserves Singapore’s four parks welcomed nearly 400 babies born across 107 species in 2020! 29 species are listed as threatened under IUCN’s Red List. Notable births include the twin birth of critically endangered Malayan tiger cubs. With an estimated 150 Malayan tigers left in the wild, their birth is a significant addition to the conservation of this subspecies. Watch the babies in action!

Adelaide Zoo welcomed a new giraffe calf and he now has a name! After thousands of votes from the public, the young calf has been named Azizi, Swahili for beloved, precious one, treasure and valuable. Although he is needing to be fed by keepers, he has bonded with the greater herd of giraffes and is doing well.

In 2020, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s Amphibian Conservation and Research Facility successfully bred Kroombit Tinkerfrogs for the first time. Since 2018, Currumbin has collaborated with Queensland Park and Wildlife Service to breed the highly endangered species which is restricted to a handful of narrow rainforest gullies within Kroombit Tops National Park.

Malayan tiger cubs, Wildlife Reserves Singapore

Azizi, Adelaide Zoo

Kroombit Tinkerfrog, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary