Here are some pictures of all the Toronto Zoo’s baby animals
At the moment, the Toronto Zoo has an embarrassment of babies: five different species’ worth of tiny mammals, all of them ridiculously cute (even the rhino). The natural time limit on their adorability—they grow up fast—seems to be having an effect on zoo attendance, which was up 46 per cent in the first quarter of 2016, year over year. Because not all of us can make the trip to Scarborough right this second, here are some new photos of all the pint-sized beasts, along with some updates on their upbringing.
Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue
Pandas, 10 months old
These twin cubs, a male and a female, are undoubtedly the zoo’s biggest draw. Their birth last year was the end result of a complicated, multi-year breeding effort involving canisters of panda sperm imported directly from China. Keeper Emily Noel says the cubs are doing well. They’re still bottle-fed.
Nandu
Indian rhinoceros, six months old
Although still young, the zoo’s male rhino calf already weighs 728 pounds. “Rhinos can be trained, they know their names and they’re tactile,” said keeper Ryan Hegarty. “They like belly rubs and getting scratched behind the ears.” Nandu was born in mild weather, and he’ll never know cold: the zoo brings its Indian rhinos indoors when the temperature drops below 10 degrees.
Unnamed Kittens
Lynxes, three months old
The sexes of these two lynx kittens can’t be determined until they’re a little older and easier for their keepers to handle. “They are absolutely vicious when they’re born,” said keeper Des Maguire. “Their behaviour changes over time.” They eat fortified ground meat, bones and rabbits.
Harrison, Gus, Oliver and Hank
White lions, 10 months old
“It’s unusual to have four boys in a litter,” said keeper Julie Ward. “We have to feed them in isolation from each other because they eat at different rates. We really just want to reduce the chance for a confrontation.”
Juno
Polar bear, nine months old
Juno is the third living offspring of Aurora, the Toronto Zoo’s adult female polar bear. (The two other cubs, Hudson and Humphrey, were both transferred to the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg after brief stays in Toronto.) After a few months of being hand-fed by keepers, Juno is beginning to settle in. Keeper Erin Sonegra says the young bear is finally starting to learn to swim in her enclosure’s diving pool.
. The natural time limit on their adorability—they grow up fast—seems to be having an effect on zoo attendance, which was up 46 per cent in the first quarter of 2016, year over year. Because not all of us can make the trip to Scarborough right this second, here are some new photos of all the pint-sized beasts, along with some updates on their upbringing.
Jia Panpan and Jia Yueyue
Pandas, 10 months old
These twin cubs, a male and a female, are undoubtedly the zoo's biggest draw. Their birth last year was the end result of a complicated, multi-year breeding effort involving canisters of panda sperm imported directly from China. Keeper Emily Noel says the cubs are doing well. They're still bottle-fed.
Nandu
Indian rhinoceros, six months old
Although still young, the zoo's male rhino calf already weighs 728 pounds. "Rhinos can be trained, they know their names and they're tactile," said keeper Ryan Hegarty. "They like belly rubs and getting scratched behind the ears." Nandu was born in mild weather, and he'll never know cold: the zoo brings its Indian rhinos indoors when the temperature drops below 10 degrees.
Unnamed Kittens
Lynxes, three months old
The sexes of these two lynx kittens can't be determined until they're a little older and easier for their keepers to handle. "They are absolutely vicious when they're born," said keeper Des Maguire. "Their behaviour changes over time." They eat fortified ground meat, bones and rabbits.
Harrison, Gus, Oliver and Hank
White lions, 10 months old
"It's unusual to have four boys in a litter," said keeper Julie Ward. "We have to feed them in isolation from each other because they eat at different rates. We really just want to reduce the chance for a confrontation."
Juno
Polar bear, nine months old
Juno is the third living offspring of Aurora, the Toronto Zoo's adult female polar bear. (The two other cubs, Hudson and Humphrey, were both transferred to the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg after brief stays in Toronto.) After a few months of being hand-fed by keepers, Juno is beginning to settle in. Keeper Erin Sonegra says the young bear is finally starting to learn to swim in her enclosure's diving pool.){kind=link}