Over the last few weeks, the San Diego Zoo has celebrated a number of new arrivals, and everyone is encouraged to come and meet the babies.
Three female mammal babies made their appearances at the Zoo: Lisa Marie is a hamadryas baboon who's now five months old and can be found at Conrad Prebys' Africa Rocks exhibit; Selamat is a siamang; and a takin calf, who doesn't have a name yet, is just two weeks old. Keepers say that all of the little ones are active, healthy, confident and full of curiosity.
The little takin calf is in Panda Trek and is already bonded with her older sister and her mother, both of whom she follows around as they explore their habitat. Takins are characterized as “Vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
Selamat, the siamang, was premature, but keepers describe her as a fighter, saying she's nursing well and gaining strength daily. She also extremely curious about her habitat, which is on Monkey Trail in the Lost Forest. Siamangs are forest-dwelling gibbons (apes) that have black fur and are native to Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
The birth of these three young ladies brings the total to over 600 animals born at the zoo since 2014. Banner printing could be used to provide fun decorations to point out the special babies in their habitats.