Spring is approaching and one sure sign of the season are the new babies at the San Diego Zoo who are venturing outside of the den and peeking out of mom’s pouch for the first time.
The zoo recently announced the births of various animals, many of which are threatened or endangered in the wild. Some of these births are also a positive sign for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s species survival plan — a program that manages breeding and ensures genetic diversity — for certain animals.
Gaylene Thomas, a wildlife care manager at the San Diego Zoo, oversees two teams that care for a variety of species, including leopards, tigers, hippos, giraffes, deer, the giant pandas and red pandas. Among those animals are also some of the zoo’s newest babies: twin sloth bear cubs and two koala joeys.
“I see guests with a lot more patience when they’re at the habitat,” Thomas said of the excitement around newborn animals. “Especially when the youngsters are at a state where you might just see the joey’s front leg or little nose. People are willing to just be patient and wait for that opportunity to catch a glimpse.”
Thomas said these tiny animal ambassadors play a special part in drawing the public’s attention to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s conservation efforts for threatened animal species.
“After 38 years of being here, I still get giddy and excited,” she said of new baby arrivals.
Thomas explained that the different babies give visitors a window into the development and adaptations of these creatures.
For conservationists at the zoo, they’re able to learn more about these populations and how to protect them. One example is koala retrovirus, a condition all koalas are born with in the wild and in managed care, which scientists are trying to understand better.
“It’s all connected,” Thomas said. “I think when you start with the newborns, that’s kind of an initial capture of attention and kind of appreciation. That’s wildlife at almost its most vulnerable state when you see a newborn animal and that interest with our guests, it sparks curiosity, which can lead to engagement and understanding and hopefully, eventually, action for that individual.”
Also, to put it plainly, Quentin VanHoose, a senior wildlife care specialist, said what we’re all thinking: “babies are just cute.” And that’s valuable when connecting with the broader community.
VanHoose, who works with large hoofed animals like giraffes, rhinos and antelopes at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, said these babies on the ground help spread the message of conservation, especially for lesser known species. One example is the bongo, an antelope native to sub-Saharan Africa, which just added a baby named Banjo to the Safari Park.
“Most baby animals, as with baby people, have exaggerated features, like big eyes and little noses,” he said. “Or with the bongo, ears bigger than the rest of their bodies and these long legs. And people are immediately drawn to the animals as babies.”
If you’re planning a trip to see some of these adorable animal ambassadors, here are three of the babies we spotted on a recent trip to the San Diego Zoo:
Sloth bear cubs
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The siblings were born to first-time mom, Shala, on Dec. 6. After a couple of months bonding in their private den, the cubs recently started venturing out in February.
Sloth bears — which are not actually related to slow-moving sloths — are a threatened species native to dry grasslands and forests in South Asia and India. The misnomer is attributed to their long, thick claws and unusual teeth. Thomas said some of the adaptations that allow them to eat insects are missing incisors on the upper jaw and the ability to close their nostrils.
Notably, sloth bears are the only bears that carry their young around on their back. The mother’s shaggy hair gives the cubs something to grab onto.
The sloth bear’s biggest threats are habitat encroachment and illegal hunting in their native environment.
While it’s not a guarantee, the best time to see them is typically in the morning, Thomas said. This habitat is down the hill, on Upper Center Street and to the left of the eatery called Sydney’s Grill. The sloth bear cubs are in the second habitat, right after the Andean bear, and it’s the only bear habitat on that street with a crosshatched netting enclosure.
Koala joey
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There are currently two joeys at the San Diego Zoo, but only one of them has been formally announced. Koala mom Adori welcomed a female joey named Inala who started poking out of her pouch in February.
As marsupials, koalas are born roughly the size of a large jelly bean and spend six to seven months developing and nursing inside the mother’s pouch. After that time, the baby will start to emerge from the pouch and begin sampling eucalyptus, Thomas said.
You may have to pack your patience when visiting these cuddly looking creatures. Koalas are known to sleep roughly 18 to 22 hours each day, rarely moving around or unfurling from their curled up position. That makes spotting a baby difficult because the pouch is located on the mom’s tummy area where humans have a belly button.
If you want to see the koalas, they’re not far from the sloth bear habitat; it’s to the right of Sydney Grill. The San Diego Zoo has the largest population of koalas outside of Australia. So, make sure you find the right perches to spot a baby. The easiest trick: male koalas are kept solo in individual sections, while the female koalas are grouped together in a community. You can find the koala joeys and moms next to the koala care center and a sign that has all of the female koalas’ names.
Newborn dik-dik
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The newest baby at the San Diego Zoo is a small African antelope called a dik-dik, which was born at the end of February.
The native habitat for dik-dik are arid brush and vegetation for protection. Their name reflects the repetitive alarm sound they make when predators are near. In addition to various predators, the biggest threat to this species are humans hunting and habitat encroachment.
If you’re lucky enough to spot these little creatures at the San Diego Zoo, look closely at their unique snouts. The dik-dik has a long, flexible nose that moves back and forth while it breathes.
Though this youngling isn’t always visible in the public habitat, it most certainly won’t be far from its mother. This little family — mom, dad and baby — are in the Elephant Odyssey section, between the lion and elephant habitats, on the right side of the park. It’s a bit of a walk from the other babies, but it’s not far from the other stars of the zoo: the giant pandas.
