The cutest thing you'll see today

This baby colobus monkey, named Mosi, was born May 20 to Roberta, 23, at the St. Louis Zoo.

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Photo by Stephanie S. Cordle of the Post-Dispatch.

Found on the web

Animal-Human Leprosy Link Found
People infected with leprosy in the United States often have the same previously unknown strain of the microbe Mycobacterium leprae that is also carried by armadillos.

Elderly Animals - in pictures
Photographer Isa Leshko has set out to document old age in the animal kingdom with a series of beautiful photographs.

10 Amazing Zoos Every Animal Lover Should See
Instead of going back to your local zoo again and again, why not see what else the world has to offer? Here are 10 amazing zoos every animal lover should see.

Pizza for lunch

Photo by ANDRE J. JACKSON/Detroit Free Press

The animals at Detroit Zoo feasted on the special delivery from Buddy's Pizza, on April 27, part of a $150,000 donation that will sponsor zoo field trips for underprivileged schools during the next five years.

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Smile

This is a baby Grevy's Zebra, born April 17th at the Detroit Zoo.

(via ZooBorns)

Baby orangutan makes first Madrid zoo appearance

The first baby orangutan to be born in captivity in 20 years at the Madrid zoo has made its first public appearance.

The 9-month-old primate named Boo cuddled a stuffed animal -- a bright yellow orangutan -- as it was unveiled by a keeper Thursday.

Boo's mother died of lung disease in late February, but Boo has been adopted by another female orangutan and is bottle fed by one of the keepers.

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Photograph by: ANDREA COMAS, REUTERS

Baby cheetah joins Busch Gardens, FL

This four-week-old baby cheetah that recently moved to Busch Gardens in Tampa.

The new cub was born at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens to a mother who wasn’t able to care for him. When zoo keepers saw that the baby was not eating and having trouble gaining weight, they made the decision to hand-raise him. Now, at a little more than two pounds, the cub is eating well, getting stronger and eagerly exploring his new home. He requires regular feedings and 24-hour care.



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Baby giraffe born at Cincinatti Zoo

Tessa, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s four-year-old Maasai giraffe gave birth to her first calf on April 2.

The Cincinnati Zoo’s history with giraffe births goes back to 1889 when it became the first zoo in the Western Hemisphere to have a giraffe born in captivity.

The last time the Zoo celebrated a giraffe birth was nearly 26 years ago.

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Snake hunt at Bronx Zoo

NEW YORK - The Bronx Zoo closed its reptile house exhibit over the weekend after workers discovered a highly poisonous Egyptian cobra was missing from its enclosure.

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The cutest zoo animal on the planet

Her name is "Roxaane" with two A's (as in "aardvark"), in keeping with her mother's name, "Rachaael". The adorable baby – whose name means “bright star” – was born Jan. 8, 2011, at the Detroit Zoo.

A web feature with video and photos of Roxanne can be found on the Detroit Zoo’s website at www.detroitzoo.org/roxanne. The baby aardvark will be seen with her parents and sister along with the Zoo’s other aardvark, 1-year-old male Erdferkel, in their African Grasslands habitat this spring.

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Phone keeps ringing in croc's tummy

KIEV, Ukraine — Gena, a 14-year-old crocodile at an aquarium in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk, has been refusing food and acting listless after eating a cell phone dropped by a woman as she tried to photograph him.

Aquarium workers initially didn't believe Rimma Golovko, a new mother in her 20s, when she complained that the crocodile had swallowed her phone.

“But then the phone started ringing and the sound was coming from inside our Gena's stomach and we understood she wasn't lying,” said Alexandra, an employee.

The mishap has caused problems for the crocodile, which has not eaten or had a bowel movement in four weeks and appears depressed and in pain.

"The animal is not feeling well," said Alexandra. "His behavior has changed, he moves very little and swims much less than he used to."

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N. America's oldest Asian elephant dies

VALLEJO, Calif. -- North America's oldest Asian elephant has died at a Northern California theme park at the age of 71.

The average life expectancy for Asian elephants is 44.8 years.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom on Tuesday announced the death of Taj, who had lived at the Vallejo park for 33 years.

The elephant was one of Discovery Kingdom's most popular attractions. Her tricks included stacking logs and playing tug-of-war with guests. The park retired her three years ago.

AP Photo
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Pandas in kilts?

Giant pandas are to return to the UK for the first time in 17 years.

The pair of seven-year-old pandas, Tian Tian and Yangguang, will arrive at Edinburgh zoo this year, marking "the culmination of five years of political and diplomatic negotiation at the highest level" according to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

The ambassador of China to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, said: "Pandas are a Chinese national treasure. This historical agreement is a gift to the people of the UK from China. It will represent an important symbol of our friendship and will bring our two people closer together."

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Prairie dogs on the lam from Ohio zoo

POWELL, Ohio -- An Ohio zoo is trying to round up runaway prairie dogs and is asking its neighbors for help.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium said Friday 11 of the critters wriggled their way out of temporary quarters and so far only four have been recovered.

Assistant Curator Jeremy Carpenter says in a statement there's no reason to believe the animals have left zoo property. But he says nearby residents are being asked to watch for prairie dogs, just in case.

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3 Times Cute!

Three white lion cubs are presented to the public for the first time at the city zoo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday Jan. 5, 2011. The cubs were born on Nov. 16, 2010. According to zoo officials these are the first white lions to be born in South America.

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AP Photo/Eduardo Di Baia

Where can you see the Pandas?

...At the National Zoo in Washington DC!

I'm straying a bit from dogs and cats to share with you a few animals a bit more exotic. Last weekend we took a trip to the National Zoo. (I'm sorry to say Kelly was not invited.)

The zoo is pretty, clean and nicely landscaped. The habitats looked pretty decent, for the most part. Most were landscaped outdoor areas with trees, and things to do. Some had an inside house, with free access to the outside areas. These were, obviously, less natural in appearance, and also more difficult to view the animals. I think zoos today are more conscious than in years before to give the animals healthy conditions, and provide them with activities and stimulation.










The National Zoo is one of the few zoos in the US where you can see Pandas.














I liked the lions too. The mothers kept telling their kids "Look! It's Simba's mom and dad!"















One of the most interesting aspects of the zoo was the orangutan crossing. The orangutans climbed high towers and traversed on these ropes across to other towers, ending in a habitat across the park. Where pedestrian paths crossed underneath, you were warned you might be in a "splash zone," and we did get to witness this phenomenon first hand. I'll not soon forget the sound of orangutan droppings splattering on the pavement.











































Trust me, there's a head in this furry mass somewhere. And check out the toes!















If you get the chance, you really "otter" go visit the National Zoo. Admission is free (parking is $20).

Rare Baby Rhino Debuted At Madrid's Zoo

A month-old white rhino calf lies next to his mother, named Marina, at the Madrid Zoo, Thursday, June 4, 2009. The unnamed white rhino calf is only the third in the world to have been conceived through artificial insemination.

The baby has yet to be named. The zoo plans to hold a contest asking the people of Madrid to choose between Cronos and Olimpo.

AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano

A very brave little mouse

Even the imposing presence of an adult leopard at feeding time is not enough to get between plucky young Rattus Norvegicus (better known as the brown rat) and a free meal.

This extraordinary series of images were captured by photography student Casey Gutteridge, as he trained his camera on the leopard for a course project.







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Endangered and Adorable

In the end, Hannibal did not administer the fatal bite to his mate's neck. And Jao Chu did not immediately kill their offspring, as is often the case.

And so, early yesterday, despite murderous tendencies in the captive species, two newborn clouded leopard cubs were found alive, well and squealing at the National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Va.

They were taken immediately from their gorgeous mother before she could do them harm, or do them in, placed in an incubator set at 88 degrees and fed salt water from baby bottles. Born with dappled, reptile-pattern fur, they were the first such births at the zoo in 16 years.

Their births were a coup, and the end of a complex reproduction saga involving an exotic, endangered and beautiful species of animal that experts call the ghost cat.

It was also a genetic home run: The zoo said the cubs' genes, which come from outside the captive population, make them among the most valuable clouded leopards in North America.

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Photo credit: Tracy A Woodward-The Washington Post

Rare tree kangaroo species has twins at Neb. zoo

Nebraska zookeepers are seeing double and they're thrilled about it, with the birth of twins to a rare species of tree kangaroo.

Twin joeys were born last month at the Lincoln Children's Zoo to Matschie's tree kangaroos Milla and her mate Noru. They were found in Milla's pouch last month, and count as two of the four documented Matschie's tree kangaroo births last year.

Kansas City Zoo zookeeper Jacque Blessington says only about 50 of the animals exist in North America. In the wild, they live in the rain forest in northeastern Papua New Guinea.

She says the babies were likely the size of a lima bean at birth.

They are expected to begin poking out their heads or feet as early as May.

Source: Boston.com

AP Photo/ Lincoln Children's Zoo

Gu Gu 3, tourists 0

Gu Gu, a panda at the Beijing Zoo has attacked an intruding tourist for the third time.

In the latest incident Gu Gu went ga ga after mauling a visitor who jumped a barrier to retrieve a child's toy. The tourist leapt over barrier surrounding the panda's outdoor exercise area to retrieve the toy dropped by his 5-year-old son, said a zoo spokeswoman.

Gu Gu bit the intruder's legs and refused to let go until zookeepers pried his jaws open with tools.

Gu Gu first made news in 2007 when he bit a drunken tourist who jumped into his pen and tried to hug him. The tourist retaliated by biting the panda in the back.

In October, Gu Gu viciously bit a teenager who climbed into his exercise area out of curiosity.