NEWS
JANUARY
- Meerkats, made famous by the childrens movie, The Lion King, are now a popular animal
in zoos. These small and very active mammals can be found at all the major zoos in Australia
and New Zealand. Adelaide Zoos newest additions to the meerkat family have just ventured
out of their burrow. Just under one month old, the four babies were born early in December.
This is the first litter born at the zoo in four years and the first breeding for
this particular pair. Adelaide has four other Meerkats giving them a total of 10 animals.
Monarto also have six males.
- In 1999 a group of White Rhinos
were imported into Australia and New Zealand
as part of a Regional Breeding Scheme for the endangered species. That has since paid off
with the birth of a healthy male at Hamilton Zoo
on Sunday 14th January 2002. Inkosi, meaning little lord,
is the son of female Caballe
and the breeding male, Zambesi. He is the first white rhino to be
born at Hamilton Zoo.
- A trio of meerkats were also born at Orana Park in New Zealand. They are
also four weeks old but have not ventured out of their burrow.
- A male cheetah, by the name of Umballa, will hopefully have left quartantine
in New Zealand by now. He is to be Orana Parks new breeding male. The park have sven
cheetahs, three of which are female, but they are all siblings. Umbala will
bring in a much needed new bloodline and hopefully Orana will continue its breeding
success with cheetah.
- Perth Zoo is in the news with cheetah. They have undertaken a first in artificial
insemination of the species when their female, Kitoko was sent to Monarto in
South Australia. Perth zoo doesn't have the room for more adult cheetahs at the moment.
At Monarto she was inseminated with semen from one of their males and every one was
suprised when she became pregnant on the first go. Kitoko is due to give birth
in March. Ultrasounds have confirmed that there is one cub. Kitoko was born
at the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Center in South Africa in 1998 and arrived at
Perth in January 1999. This will be her first birth.
- Perth Zoo has more good news. A 15 year drought will be broken with the birth of a
white rhino calf in December. The last calf to be born in Australia was at Western Plains
in the 1980s. Perths female, Sabie, now 5 months pregnant, arrived in Australia
in 1999. Another female in that group has just given birth at Hamilton Zoo. The father
of Sabies youngster is 14 year old Memphis.
- Taronga Zoo apparently has a new arrival. According to a newspaper report in the
Daily Telegraph, a female sumatran tiger by the name of Assiqua was treated
for toothache. She has been brought into the country to be a mate to the male at
Western Plains.
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