San Diego's Cutest Critters

Here's a closer look at those adorable zoo babies running, eating, resting, playing and living their zoo baby lives to the fullest.

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San Diego Zoo Global
Edward and Future, two southern white rhino calves living at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, meet nose-to-nose for the first time.
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San Diego Zoo Global
Edward and Future, two southern white rhino calves living at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, meet nose-to-nose for the first time.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Greater one-horned rhino mother Alta and female calf Anusha, emerging from the maternity corral and exploring their Asian Savanna habitat at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park
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Photo taken on Aug. 28, 2019 by
One-month-old Greater One-horned Rhino Calf Enjoys Mud Wallow with Mom at San Diego Zoo Safari Park A one-month-old greater one-horned rhino calf and her mother enjoyed a dip in a cool mud wallow at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park yesterday (Aug. 28, 2019). By doing this, rhinos coat themselves with a thick layer of mud that helps act as a sunscreen and bug repellent, and also helps to keep them cool.rThe female calf—named Anusha, which means “beautiful morning” in Hindi—and her mother Alta came out onto their expansive Asian Savanna field exhibit together for the first time, from a protected area called a boma, where they have resided since the calf’s birth on July 30. The pair’s one-on-one time in the boma gave them a chance to properly bond before interacting with other wildlife in their 40-acre habitat. The greater one-horned rhinoceros was once widespread in Southeast Asia, but it is now found only in India and Nepal. It differs from other rhino species, as it has an armor-plated appearance—but that “armor” is actually a layer of skin that has many folds. While the calf enjoyed the muddy water, a layer of young, pink skin could be spied underneath the folds of her thickening, dark gray top layer of skin. San Diego Zoo Global has been working for more than 40 years, along with other accredited zoos, to keep a sustainable population of rhinos safe under human care while working to protect them in sanctuaries in the wild. Anusha is the 73rd greater one-horned rhino born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park since 1975, making the Safari Park the foremost breeding facility in the world for this species. Visitors to the Safari Park may see Anusha and her mom, along with six other greater one-horned rhinos roaming the Asian Savanna, from a Caravan Safari or private Cart Safari. Photo taken on Aug. 28, 2019 by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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oscar.go.com
Edward the south African rhino runs around the main exhibit just 22 days after he arrived at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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Ken Bohn/AP
Animal care staff at the San Diego Zoo weighs one of the first penguin chicks born at the San Diego Zoo African Penguin colony in San Diego, California, on May 7, 2019. A fluffy pair of 2-month-olds are the first chicks hatched at the zoo from eggs laid by the colony's resident penguin couples.
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AP
An animal care staffer at the San Diego Zoo pets the first penguin chicks born at the San Diego Zoo African Penguin colony in San Diego, California, on May 7, 2019. A fluffy pair of 2-month-olds are the first chicks hatched at the zoo from eggs laid by the colony's resident penguin couples.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Umzula-Zuli was born on World Elephant day with just 50 minutes to spare. He is the largest elephant to be born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. He was excited to meet his herd for the first time on August 13, 2018.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Umzula-Zuli and his mother Ndlulamitsi are welcomed back into the herd after Umzula-Zuli's birth. This is Ndlulamitsi third baby.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The Safari Park elephant herd grew by one, bringing the family total to 13. There are four adults and nine youngsters. Trumpeting could be heard all day, celebrating their new addition.
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Ken Bohn , San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Two six-month-old wallaby joeys go nose to nose at the Animal Care Nursery at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on April 13, 2018.
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Ken Bohn , San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The wallaby joeys currently are being bottle fed and drink to 5 ounces of a special marsupial formula, three to five times a day.
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San Diego Zoo
Two Tasmanian devils, hailing from Australia, have joined the San Diego Zoo. The devils are named "McLovin" and "Quirindi," are now call the Austrilian Outback exhibit home.
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Ken Bohn, Photographer
Three nearly 7-week old cheetah siblings get cozy before a nap at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, where they are being cared for until they can return to their home at the Cheetah Breeding Center. Because of markings on their tails, keepers have nicknamed the brother and two sisters “Blue,” “Purple” and “Yellow.”
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Tammy Spratt/San Diego Zoo Global
Meet Justin. The southern white rhino was born on Feb. 7, 2018, at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. On Feb. 16 the bouncing baby boy took some time to explore his habitat, run around, nap and and nurse from his mom, Kacy. Then, like a true newborn, he napped some more. Justin stayed close to his mom, who zookeepers say is very protective. Justin weighed about 125 pounds at birth and will gain about 100 pounds each month in his first year. Once he’s fully grown, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park said the rhino could weigh between 4,000 and 5,000 pounds. Justin is the 97th southern white rhino calf born at the Safari Park as the park continues its efforts to conserve the animals.
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Lions Tigers & Bears
Lions Tigers & Bears is caring for the white tiger cub that was seized in Louisiana in late 2017.
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oscar.go.com
The 6-week-old Cheetah cub came to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park from Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The cub can be seen every day at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's Ione and Paul Harter Animal Care Center nursery.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The cub can be seen every day at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's Ione and Paul Harter Animal Care Center nursery.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
She is being raised by animal care staff because her siblings were outcompeting her for food due to her small size.
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oscar.go.com
One-year-old gorilla Leslie enjoyed a bite of delicious birthday cake with mom Kokamo during her joyful “Tea for Two” themed birthday party at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Oct. 24, 2017.
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Erik Jepsen/UCSD
Vila, the world’s second oldest gorilla, celebrated her 60th birthday with a joyful “Tea for Two” themed party and a big bite of birthday cake at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Oct. 24, 2017.
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Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Global
On Sept. 11, 2017, a 9-week-old Sumatran tiger cub (left) arrived at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The cub, born on July 11, was rejected by its mother. Keepers decided to transfer the cub to San Diego, where it could bond with another tiger cub – a 7-week-old Bengal tiger cub (right) confiscated on Aug. 23 at the U.S.-Mexico border by U.S. Customs and Border Protection during an alleged smuggling attempt. The cubs met for the first time on Sept. 11 and, according to Safari Park officials, took to each other immediately, wrestling and jumping together.
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Photo taken on Dec. 1, 2016, by
Mandrill Kesi’s new baby knows how to get around, hanging onto mom as she moves around their habitat. Kesi gave birth to her baby boy this week—and he is the first mandrill born at the San Diego Zoo in over 14 years! This is the first baby for Kesi and male mandrill Jasper. So far, animal care staff say, they are doing exceptionally well as new parents—and mom is being very attentive to the baby’s nursing needs. Guests can visit the Zoo’s three mandrills on Monkey Trail in Lost Forest. They share an exhibit with guenons, including spot-nosed monkeys and Wolf’s monkeys.
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Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Kokomo the gorilla holds her 2-day-old baby at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park this morning (Oct. 20, 2016), as guests gather to get a look—and maybe a photo—of the newest addition to the gorilla troop. Animal care staff won’t have contact with the baby—which has not yet been named—until it’s much older, but baby gorillas’ weight at birth ranges between 3.5 and 4.5 pounds. Animal care staff reported that Kokomo is a very protective and attentive mother. She is allowing the other members of the troop to check out the new baby gorilla, but visitors to the Park should expect that the newborn will be held by her mother constantly, making it difficult to see the baby in the arms of her 229-pound mom. This is the second baby gorilla for mother Kokomo and father Winston at the Safari Park. Winston doesn’t have a direct role in caring for the baby, at this point—but he will continue to be protective of the troop of eight gorillas, which consists of one adult male, three adult females, 5-year-old Monroe, 8-year-old Frank and 2-year-old Joanne.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
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NBC Chicago
Hsi Hsi, a 6-week-old takin calf is bottle-fed by keepers three times a day at the San Diego Zoo. She was born on May 22, 2016, and is the 67th takin born at the zoo.
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Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo
Hsi Hsi, a 6-week-old takin calf is bottle-fed by keepers three times a day at the San Diego Zoo. She was born on May 22, 2016, and is the 67th takin born at the zoo.
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Ken Bohn at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Photo taken April 25, 2016 by Ken Bohn at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park
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Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo
A new brown kiwi was hatched in March 2016 at the San Diego Zoo - one of just seven zoos in the U.S. that cares for the endangered bird. Photo taken on April 5, 2016 by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo
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Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The "Swift Six" cheetah cubs are now on exhibit at their home at San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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San Diego Zoo
Addison, an 8-year-old cheetah at the San Diego Zoo, gave birth to the six cubs in November 2015. The litter is above average for cheetahs, according to zoo officials, and it was a surprise for Addison’s keepers.
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Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
A birthday celebration was held Friday for the matriarch of the western lowland gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Vila turned 58, enjoying an ice cupcake with frozen fruit frosting. She’s one of the world’s oldest-known gorillas, believed to have been born in October of 1957 in the Congo.
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Photo taken on Aug. 27, 2015, by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Photo of Congo and Siri taken on Aug. 27, 2015, by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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Photo taken on Aug. 27, 2015, by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Senior keeper Eileen Neff feeds Congo his first bottle on exhibit. Photo taken on Aug. 27, 2015, by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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Photo taken on Aug. 27, 2015, by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Neff said the trick to feeding a giraffe is to make them think they are getting the milk from under their mother's belly. That's why she's using a blanket. Photo taken on Aug. 27, 2015, by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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San Diego Zoo
four capybaras, which weighed between 3.5 and 4 pounds, were born Aug. 10, 2015 in the Harry and Grace Steele Elephant Odyssey at the San Diego Zoo.
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San Diego Zoo
The capybara, the world's largest rodent, is not currently classified as an endangered species, although it is threatened by deforestation, habitat destruction and illegal poaching.
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San Diego Zoo
An exam included weighing the youngsters; checking their eyes, ears and overall physical health; and taking a sample of hair for use in determining the sex of each one.
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San Diegans got their first look at the baby cheetah cubs in June of 2014. They are just a few of the cutest critters of San Diego.
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San Diego Zoo
A one-month-old Dalmatian pelican is among San Diego's cutest critters. This newborn is being hand-raised by staff with the San Diego Zoo.
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Ken Bohn
Mother Funani shares a tender moment with her newest baby hippo born at the San Diego Zoo on March 23, 2015.
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News 12 Bronx
Mother Funani and her new baby hippo.
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NBCConnecticut.com
Mother Funani and her new baby hippo.
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SeaWorld
It sounds like a scene from Happy Feet, but after attaching a GPS-like tracking device, SeaWorld's Animal Rescue was able to release a rescued Guadalupe fur seal back into the wild.
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SeaWorld's Animal Rescue was able to release a rescued Guadalupe fur seal back into the wild. The female seal was found off a sea wall at Carlsbad State Beach back in December, weighing only 80 pounds and suffering lacerations on her right side. She was in need of urgent medical care, which included fluids and antibiotics.
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OnScene.tv
SeaWorld's Animal Rescue was able to release a rescued Guadalupe fur seal back into the wild. The female seal was found off a sea wall at Carlsbad State Beach back in December, weighing only 80 pounds and suffering lacerations on her right side. She was in need of urgent medical care, which included fluids and antibiotics.
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SeaWorld's Animal Rescue was able to release a rescued Guadalupe fur seal back into the wild. The female seal was found off a sea wall at Carlsbad State Beach back in December, weighing only 80 pounds and suffering lacerations on her right side. She was in need of urgent medical care, which included fluids and antibiotics.
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Anne Arundel County Police Department
This 3-week-old greater one-horn rhino is being bottle fed and receiving round-the-clock care from zookeepers until he builds up the strength to rejoin his mother, Kaya.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Three-week-old greater one-horn rhino getting his bottle from a zookeeper at San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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Getty Images
Baby greater one-horn rhino splashing away with his round-the-clock zookeepers at San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
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NBC Bay Area
One male and three females were born June 22 to mother Oshana.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
It was a spectacular debut for four new African lions in San Diego Thursday, Sept. 11.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The cubs spent the day exploring their new exhibit at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The almost three-month-old cubs have been named Ernest, Evelyn, Marion and Miss Ellen, in honor of longtime San Diego Zoo Global supporters Ernest and Evelyn Rady and Marion Wilson, and in memory of Miss Ellen Browning Scripps, the San Diego Zoo's first benefactor.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Baby and mother nuzzle at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on August 16, 2014.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The calf, named Gowon, Masai for maker of rain, was born on July 31 to mother Genny in a protected area.
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Ken Bohn/ San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The San Diego Safari Park’s 7-week-old cheetah cub, Ruuxa, gets to know his new puppy companion in this sweet snapshot taken on June 18, 2014. This is the first photo released of the furry friends. The 8-week-old Rhodesian ridgeback pup was paired with the cheetah cub after the cheetah was rejected by his mother and had to be hand-raised as an animal ambassador. Safari Park keepers say the cheetah and puppy will now be raised together, with the dog serving as a lifelong companion to the cheetah.
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Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Five-month-old lion cubs Ken and Dixie tackle gourds and claw at the paper bags filled with wood shavings in this photo by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Image captured on April 24, 2014.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
This baby gorilla was born via emergency c-section on March 13, 2014 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park veterinary hospital.
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Handout Image
There’s nothing like bonding over breakfast. African elephant Mila and Asian elephant Mary did just that when they snacked on some acacia browse together at the San Diego Zoo. According to zookeepers, this was the first time the pair has shared a moment like this, as zookeepers have been slowing introducing the elephants, letting them smell one another and interact through a protective barrier. This time, however, they shared the same space and snack in a positive encounter that encourages keepers to continue letting the elephants get to know each other.
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Getty Images
The San Diego Zoo’s Sumatran orangutan, Indah, hangs out with her 3-month-old daughter, Aisha, in their exhibit on Jan. 28, 2014. Baby Aisha was born on Oct. 25, 2013. She spends her days observing her mother and learning to perform daily tasks.
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Pixabay
According to zookeepers, as soon as orangutans are born, they instinctively know how to tightly grasp onto their mother’s hair. They spend the next few months of life clinging tightly onto their mother this way, until the mother feels comfortable enough to let them roam on their own.
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San Diego Zoo
Aisha has a while to go until she’s exploring on her own. For now, the teeny, tiny orangutan seems to be enjoying the ride alongside her mother.
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Ken Bohn/ San Diego Zoo
A baby giraffe born at the San Diego Zoo on Dec. 22, 2013, is tenderly groomed by her mother, Bahati, right before being introduced to the rest of her Masai giraffe family. At birth less than 10 days ago, the calf measured 6-foot-1 and weighed 157 pounds, according to San Diego Zoo officials. This is Bahati’s 10th calf. The herd’s sire, Silver, is the calf’s father. Zoo officials say Masai giraffes are native to Africa and threatened in some areas. This photo was taken on Dec. 31, 2013.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Two lion cubs were born Dec. 6, 2013 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The male and female cubs are being raised by the staff after their mother failed to adequately care for them.
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Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo's newest member of its animal ambassador program. The baby sloth is just five months old and is undergoing training to meet people visiting the zoo.
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San Diego Zoo
Giant panda mom Bai Yun enjoys a special ice cake in celebration of her 22nd birthday on September 7, 2013.
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NBC 5 News
Giant panda mom Bai Yun enjoys a special ice cake in celebration of her 22nd birthday on September 7, 2013.
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Xiao Liwu stands on his hind legs to get a taste of his birthday surprise.
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The giant panda cub - one of four pandas at the San Diego Zoo - turned one on July 29, 2013.
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Ken Bohn/ San Diego Zoo
A recently-hatched Caribbean flamingo chick lets its mother know it’s ready for a snack. This baby bird is one of seven Caribbean flamingo chicks hatched this year at the San Diego Zoo. The zoo has a total of 118 Caribbean flamingos. Zookeepers say flamingo chicks are the “size of a tennis ball with legs” when first born.
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Courtesy of Ken Bohn
Monroe, a western lowland gorilla at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, celebrated his second birthday at the San Diego Zoo.
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FedEx
A female okapi calf, born just two and a half weeks ago, took her first steps outside Tuesday, June 4.
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WMBF News
She is the 23rd okapi born at the San Diego Zoo. There are fewer than 90 okapis at zoos in the United States. She's just one of the cute critters at San Diego's Zoo and Safari Park.
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AP
Tikal, a one-year-old jaguar, guards the ice cake given to him and his sister, Maderas, on Friday morning at the San Diego Zoo. The tiered cake, made of ice, frozen blood and bamboo to support the layers, was made by animal care staff at the Zoo to celebrate the first birthday of cubs.
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Ken Bohn/ San Diego Zoo
Two lowland gorillas – Paul Donn, a 24-year-old male silverback, and Njida, an 18-year-old female gorilla -- forage for raisins in the grass at the San Diego Zoo on Mar. 26. Zookeepers dropped the sweet treats into their exhibit as part of the zoo’s “Play Days” event, which highlights enrichment activities that encourage and reinforce animals’natural behaviors including hunting, exploring, climbing and swimming.
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Ina Saliklis/San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Kayode, an eight-day-old male southern white rhino, was born Feb. 25 in full view of keepers and the public at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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Ina Saliklis/San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Kayode, who keepers affectionately call a "little tank," will gain 100 pounds a month for the first year. When he's fully grown, he can weigh between 4,000 to 5,000 pounds.
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Rita Petita/ San Diego Zoo
Panda cub XIao Liwu enjoys some sunny San Diego weather at the zoo on Mar. 2, 2013. Panda life is so tough, right?
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Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo.
Linshuh, a two-week-old Sichuan Takin calf, took his first climb Tuesday at the San Diego Zoo. Photo taken on Feb. 19, 2013, by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo.
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Tammy Spratt/ San Diego Zoo
African cheetah, Taraji, took the stage at the San Diego Zoo on Feb. 15 as part of the “Discovery Days: Cool Cats,” where guests enjoyed animal encounters, chats with zookeepers and special presentations about the zoo's different cool cats.
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Ken Bohn
The youngest member of the black duiker family, Rashidi, is fitting right in at the San Diego Zoo. Rashidi, whose name means "rightly guided" in Afrikaans, is 7 weeks old and weighs 17 pounds.
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San Diego Safari Park
The San Diego Safari Park posted this user photo to its Facebook page showing Shomili (Mili for short), the 65th greater one-horned rhino born at the park.
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San Diego Zoo
This newest image of our baby panda Xiao Liwu, taken Jan. 22, who just went on exhibit this month at the San Diego Zoo.
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sdsafaripark
When Kizuwanda's little boy Kato was introduced to the herd last week, San Diego Zoo Safari Park staff snapped this pic. A close look and you'll see that even giraffes know how to photo bomb!
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Getty Images
Haui-san, a 14-week-old clouded leopard, and his brother made their public debut at the San Diego Zoo on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012.
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Getty Images
Here are some other images of San Diego's cutest critters! In this handout photo provided by SeaWorld, Cascade, a 29-year-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, gave birth to a calf at SeaWorld San Diego on November 5, 2012.
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AP
SeaWorld welcomed a new Atlantic bottlenose dolphin to the world on Monday November 5.
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NBCPhiladelphia.com
Tatqiq, an 11-year-old female polar bear at the San Diego Zoo, had great fun trying to drown a Halloween lawn ornament in the shape of a Frankenstein monster. The female bear tossed and wrestled with her enrichment items until it was time for a nap. Visit www.sandiegozoo.org/polarcam to watch Tatqiq and the two other polar bears in their exhibit. Tatqiq, like her wild cousins, enjoys spending time in the water. The polar bear is uniquely adapted to life on the sea-ice of the Arctic Ocean, and for millennia it has roamed the vast and pristine circumpolar Arctic. However, climate change has created a conservation crisis for this iconic species, and its persistence in the wild is jeopardized by record-breaking sea-ice losses and increasing industrial-scale human activity.
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Courtesy of San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo’s 6-month-old jaguar, Tikal, enjoyed rolling a jack-o’-lantern around his exhibit. The 50-pound male cub, his sister and their mother spent the morning enjoying the treats inside them and playing tug-of-war with the orange squash. The only scary part was when Tikal nearly lost his pumpkin in the pool, but his big paws were quick and caught the jack-o’-lantern for continued playtime. Jaguars are the largest cat in the Western Hemisphere and the third largest of the world’s cats. Demand for the jaguar’s beautiful rosette-covered fur is one of the reasons this species is endangered. In addition, loss of habitat and human-animal conflict have reduced jaguar populations throughout their range from North America through South America.
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SeaWorld San Diego
One of the polar bears at SeaWorld San Diego seems to enjoy Halloween but the pumpkin doesn't look all that happy about it.
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The calf's name is Qinisa, a Siswati word that means to act determinedly, act with energy, fulfill one's word, or speak the truth.
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Getty Images
Hours after birth on Tuesday, an unnamed female African elephant made her public debut at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The 205-pound calf was born at 3:39 a.m. to the Safari Park's matriarch, Swazi.
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A new image posted Monday from the zoo's panda cam. On its Facebook page, zoo staffers commented "Bai Yun's little one is looking more like a panda every day." The cub was born July 29 at the San Diego Zoo.
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Getty Images/Flickr RF
Here, Bai Yun and her 2-week-old cub are seen via the panda cam. The cub is just one of the many cute baby critters in San Diego.
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NBC 5 News
Mama's boys Conrad and Thomas made their debut Wednesday. You can see them on Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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Flickr/mlhradio
The new baby tigers are on exhibit at the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park. The park is home to six Sumatran tigers and is fund-raising to build a new, forested tiger haven. Find out how you can help here here.
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San Diego Zoo
Visitors to the San Diego Zoo over the Memorial Day Weekend will get the chance to see the zoo's new 10-day-old male reindeer calf on Polar Rim.
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San Diego Zoo
For the first time in 30 years, the San Diego Zoo welcomed baby jaguars on April 26, 2012.
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San Diego Zoo
A 2-week-old red river hog takes a second to catch its breath after spending Tuesday morning running around a San Diego Zoo Safari Park
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Courtesy of San Diego Zoo
Oh man, these little guys are adorable! Born on March 6, these month-old cubs photographed at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are ready for their debut.
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Kimberly-Castillo / Facebook Oficial
The one-month-old Sumatran tiger cubs in their den are both male.
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JohanaRivaGarabetian / Facebook Oficial
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park provided a photograph of the male tiger cub born on March 6.
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Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz
San Diego Zoo staffers posted this image of the park's newest giraffe calf when they announced his name. Enzi - which means "rule" or "region" in Swahili.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
One of the gorillas on exhibit at San Diego Zoo Safari Park catches up on a little reading. See more images on their Facebook page.
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NBC10 Staff
Sure, they're not babies but still this is a cute critters pic! The San Diego Zoo posted this on their Facebook page Thursday, Nov. 17. A 3-car pileup at the Koala exhibit.
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TELEMUNDO LOCAL
The San Diego Safari Park's okapi calf is just over a month old now. According to her keepers she's adventurous, independent and self-assured.
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San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo's newest giraffe calf was born on August 30 and is the second male calf born to Nicki. He weighed 162 pounds at birth and weighs in today at 244 pounds. His keepers report that he is curious, confident and bold.
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San Diego Zoo
Keepers at the San Diego Zoo have been caring for a Parma wallaby baby in the nursery since she was found out of her mother’s pouch on July 5, 2011. This wallaby is the youngest and smallest marsupial the Zoo has been able to successfully hand raise. Because of her small size, Trinka required many frequent feedings. Today she receives four bottle feedings a day and is also given time out of the pouch in a playpen in the nursery.
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San Diego Zoo
In this photo taken by staffers at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Sept. 26, 2011 shows a male newborn lifting his trunk.
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NBCSanDiego
The baby elephant learns to walk near his mother and sister Monday.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park Facebook followers selected this image by Tyler Fogle as the fan photo of the week.
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Getty Images
A baby elephant at San Diego's Zoo Safari Park holds up it's trunk but check out the shape of Mama's trunk - a heart. Awwwwww!
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Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park
A lowland paca named Paisley is the newest addition to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (formerly known as the Wild Animal Park). Paisely was born Aug 6. and is just beginning to eat solid foods and explore her exhibit. Zoo staffers say the species looks a bit like a spotted watermelon on short legs.
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Getty Images
African lion cub and 3-month-old Italian Mastiff puppy, best friends.
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Getty Images
Baby Panda cub
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NBC10.com
Cheetah cubs!
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Getty Images
3-Month-Old Dhole puppy.
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Getty Images
Baby Rhino!
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San Diego Zoo
Malayan tiger cubs, now three-months-old, captured on July 20.
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San Diego Zoo
The pair named Christopher and Connor are on exhibit at the San Diego Zoo every day from 9 a.m. to noon.
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Getty Images
You can watch them feed here.
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San Diego Zoo
Another image taken by the San Diego Zoo of its new tiger cubs.
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Getty Images
The female named "Thai" is the firstborn of a silver leaf monkey who unfortunately didn't know how to hold her baby.
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San Diego Zoo
A new silver leaf monkey at the San Diego Zoo, born July 3.
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Thai, seen here at 1-week-old, is being bottlefed by zookeepers several times each day and then returned to her family so they can continue bonding.
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San Diego Safari Park
The male calf born to Chomoa is her first.
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San Diego Zoo
The flamingo chicks are hatching. Just take a look - the San Diego Zoo posted this adorable picture on its Facebook page.
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San Diego Safari Park
A new baby was born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on May 26, 2011.
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San Diego Safari Park
Zoo staffers posted the pics on their Facebook page, reporting the baby doesn't have a name and will be off exhibit until he is old enough to join the herd.
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SD Zoo/Facebook
One of two new Malayan tiger cubs is ready for his close up on May 13... weighing in at around 14 lbs.
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These are the cubs at about 6 weeks old. They are getting increasingly playful according to the San Diego Zoo's Facebook page.
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EFE
Two new baby giraffes are now on exhibit at San Diego's Safari Park.
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Getty Images
Tuli is a 3-week-old female, and her name means "tranquil." Sunny is a 4-week-old male, and he was named after a popular Nigerian musician.
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NBC Bay Area
Mama hippo, Funani, spent one morning playing with her adorable calf, Adhama. Check out the entire clip here.
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San Diego Zoo
More images of the pair playing in their exhibit. Send your images of the babies at our zoo or safari park to isee@nbcsandiego.com.
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Pennsylvania State Police
More images of the pair playing in their exhibit on Friday.
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A pair of 2-week-old Malayan tiger cubs at the San Diego Zoo opened their eyes. The unnamed male cubs can see only shadows right now. They make soft chuffing noises, sleep most of the day and nurse when awake.
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The San Diego Zoo welcomed the arrival of two new tiger cubs born on April 2. Their eyes are still closed and won't open for a few weeks still.
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Tigers Mek and Paka are proud parents of the new cubs. One of them is seen here being held by a member of the zoo's staff.
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Jim Turner/News Service of Florida
The babies are so young, video cameras weren't allowed in the same room. Visitors won't be able to see the little ones until August at the earliest, according to zoo officials.
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San Diego Zoo
Bahati has had her 8th calf at the San Diego Zoo.
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San Diego Zoo Safari Park
A new baby Condor hatched last week with its parent's help. Get more information here.
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San Diego Zoo/Ken Bohn
An eight-day old capybara stays close to its mother at the San Diego Zoo. Within an hour of being born, the baby could be seen running around the exhibit chewing on branches and trees.
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San Diego Zoo
How could you not love these guys, they're San Diego's own zoo babies.
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Cortesía del Departamento de Policía de Monte Vista
The San Diego Zoo’s newest hippo climbs on his mother‘s back. The pair have been inseparable since the little guy’s birth on Jan. 26, 2011. That made it tough for San Diego Zoo keepers and veterinarians to determine the calf’s sex, but they have finally confirmed the two-week-old is a boy. Zoo keepers gave the baby hippo the name “Adhama,” which means honor or glory in Swahili.
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FILE - WNT
A keeper at the San Diego Zoo bottle-feeds a royal antelope that weighs just 17 ounces. The baby was born on exhibit Jan. 20 and moved to the Zoo's vet hospital. Because the royal antelope is so small, the bottle’s nipple had to be specially designed for this species. The calf receives five bottle feedings a day, has gained seven ounces and is thriving.
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Giant panda Yun Zi spent Monday morning entertaining himself atop a tree while his mother, Bai Yun, ate her bamboo in an adjacent exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. The 79-pound panda is on the way to graduating from baby bear to independence as he reaches a new milestone—18 months old.
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Ken Bohn / San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Majel gave her mother, Delta, a tiger hug before dashing off to explore the rest of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's tiger habitat for the first time. The 3-month-old female Sumatran tiger, along with her sister, Joanne, made their public debut on Friday. Although still a little clumsy compared to the agility of her mother, Majel prowled through the 3-acre habitat to the delight of Safari Park guests. Sumatran tigers are a critically endangered species, with only about 450 cats left worldwide. The Park is currently home to six Sumatran tigers, but 23 have been born here over the years.
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San Diego Zoo
The hippo birth is something San Diego Zoo keepers have been hoping for. Two years ago, male hippo Otis came from the Los Angeles Zoo to meet Funani at the San Diego Zoo. There were fireworks right away as the Hollywood hippo and Funani, who had been in the exhibit for more than a decade, struggled for dominance. But after a cooling-off period and re-introduction, they became an affectionate couple. Otis recently garnered national attention when a photo of him “smiling” went viral.
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NECN
A four-week-old giraffe takes a run up the hill in the East Africa exhibit at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Animal care staff released the calf, born on Dec. 24, 2010, into the field for the first time today. While cautious at first, Jioni, which means “eve” in Swahili, was soon running over the new terrain.
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San Diego Zoo
Jioni was surrounded by 14 other Uganda giraffes, which sniffed the youngest member of the herd. After about 20 minutes, the calf ventured to the lower level of the exhibit, where there is a stream and other animal species, including African crowned cranes, impala and Nile lechwe.
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San Diego Zoo
A two-week-old Sichuan takin climbs to the highest point in his exhibit. The kid, who was born on Dec. 28, 2010, was named Wûshi, which means 50 in Mandarin, because he is the 50th takin to call the Zoo home.
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NECN
The San Diego Zoo welcomes its first baby of 2011. The satanic leaf-tailed gecko hatched on New Year's Day.
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Getty Images for ACM
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park had an African elephant born the dark, early morning hours on Dec. 27, 2010. The calf was born on exhibit in the presence of the other elephant moms and calves well before animal care staff arrived at 6 a.m. Guests at the Safari Park on Monday could see the newborn in an upper yard of the elephant exhibit, where staff is keeping the calf, his mother, Litsemba, and 3-year-old brother for overnight observation.
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San Diego Zoo/Ken Bohn
Two female Sumatran tiger cubs at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park show off their newly emerging teeth. Born on Oct. 5, 10- and 9-pound cubs are being desensitized to the human touch in anticipation of vaccines or other necessary veterinary care.
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Jorge Diaz
A 1-month-old giraffe calf named Machaleo makes his debut alongside his mother, Shani, at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The male calf is the 115th Uganda giraffe born at the Safari Park.
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Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo
The public will have an opportunity to help name this adorable baby elephant born May 12 at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. The youngest of three elephants born in 2010 at the Wild Animal Park, this 302-pound calf is strong, enjoys hanging out with the boys and playing in the water. The Park is accepting suggestions through July 25 at www.SanDiegoZoo.org for a name that fits the elephant’s character.
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San Diego Zoo
Su Lin, a 5-year-old panda at the San Diego Zoo received a tiered birthday cake made of colored ice on Monday. The cake was drizzled with honey “frosting” that kept the birthday bear licking and eating at the cake for more than an hour before she noticed her usual bamboo. Su Lin is the oldest of the three giant pandas celebrating birthdays this week at the Zoo.
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NBCConnecticut.com
A hungry flamingo chick is about to be fed by one of its parents. Both mother and father flamingos take part in rearing their young, from warming the eggs in the mud nest, to feeding the chicks. This chick is one of four flamingo babies, between the ages of three and 10 days old, currently at the San Diego Zoo. Another four to six flamingo chicks are expected to hatch in the next two weeks.
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Tammy Spratt/San Diego Zoo
A 15-week old Uganda giraffe runs in the East Africa exhibit Thursday at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The calf and her mother were released onto exhibit to join the rest of the herd and were welcomed back by all of the other giraffes. Majagi, which means “tall drink of water,” is the 111th Uganda giraffe, also known as the Rothschild’s giraffe, born at the Park in the last 30 years. Right now the Park has four male and 13 female giraffes in this herd.
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San Diego Zoo
An unnamed African elephant calf is surprised by the water splashing off of his mother, Umoya, who is cooling down at a waterhole at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park on Thursday. After a slow start, the outlook for the calf is now upbeat. He was healthy and nursing after his birth on May 12, but a medical condition with his mother caused him to lose rather than gain weight. Umoya is now recovering, which means the 229-pound calf is too. He is the third calf born at the Wild Animal Park in 2010 and is interacting with other elephants daily, including the two other male calves born in February and April. There are now eight youngsters in the 16-member African elephant herd, ranging from 3 weeks to 6 years old. Several of them were seen playing in the waterhole on Thursday. To celebrate the success of this elephant herd, the Park is highlighting elephants during African Summer Festival, which runs June 19 through Sept. 6. Visit the elephant exhibit at 11 a.m. daily to watch the elephants search the 3-acre habitat seeking goodies hidden in the grass, trees or rocks. Other activities include acrobats, storytellers, live drum bands, bead working, a new animal show and Robert, the digital talking zebra.
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NBCSanDiego
This 6-month old kangaroo is an animal ambassador with SeaWorld San Diego.
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Waterford Police Department
Kangaroos are the size of a jelly bean when first born.
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NBCSanDiego
This baby seemed comfortable in the sheepskin blanket.
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Getty Images
An African elephant named Swazi leads the way for her newborn calf at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park in San Pasqual Valley east of Escondido on Wednesday. The first-time mother's 268-pound calf was born at 8:35 p.m. Monday. The calf, which has not been named yet, is the second African elephant born at the park this year. The first arrived on Valentine's Day, and a third is due later this spring. The newcomers joined a herd of African elephants that the zoo brought to the park from Swaziland in 2003.
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Telemundo San Antonio
The baby calf is seen getting aquainted with 2-year-old Phakamile on Wednesday morning under the watchful eye of mom, Swazi.
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Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images
Not yet a month old, San Diego Zoo's newest Malayan tapir is starting to nibble on solid food already. The tapir has been named "Tembikai" which means "watermelon" in Malay.
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San Diego Zoo
The newest baby to join the six Masai giraffes at the San Diego Zoo takes shelter under his mother’s stomach after bouncing around and showing off.
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San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo veterinarian Tracy Clippinger, D.V.M., needed assistance from Kathy Hawk, a senior keeper, in order to listen to the heartbeat of Yun Zi, a 17-week-old giant panda cub.
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Getty Images
In early October, SeaWorld watched as 82 baby sea turtles hatched in their park exhibit.
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Getty Images
For nearly two weeks, starting on Oct. 5, 2009, SeaWorld aquarists discovered newly hatched sea turtles in their SeaWorld habitat.
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SeaWorld
Since the turtles have cracked through their pingpong-sized eggs and emerged from their nest, park caregivers have fed them a diet that includes a combination of squid, krill, shrimp and special turtle pellets.
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San Diego Zoo
There is a new rhinoceros on exhibit at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. Bandhu joined his mother, Jatri, in the Asian Plains exhibit this morning, where he explored, ran and met some of the ten other Indian rhinoceroses that share the area. Bandhu is Jatris first calf and the 59th Indian rhinoceros born at the Wild Animal Park since 1978.
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San Diego Zoo
They may not be getting the attention of the new panda cub but the lizards hatching at the San Diego Zoo this week are considered an important achievement by zoo staff. Two of four eggs Grand Cayman blue iguana hatchlings that arrived Tuesday are one of the most endangered lizard species in the world. Just a few years ago, there were only about 20 left in the wild. They were driven to the brink of extinction due to habitat destruction and the dogs and cats brought to the island by humans.
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San Diego Zoo
The zoo is one of 13 locations around the world working to breed the lizard off the island. The San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research has four breeding adults which they have been breeding for three years. “Breeding these guys is amazing,” research coordinator Jeff Lemmhe said. “We just produced four of the most endangered lizards in the world. It’s awesome.”
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Getty Images
Pagi, a female Bornean sun bear cub whose name means morning in a Malayan dialect, reassured her brother, Palu, who is named after a valley in Borneo, as they made their public debut at the San Diego Zoo. The 5-month-old bears surpassed their keepers expectations by exploring every inch of their habitat, including the highest points of their climbing structures.
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Foto: Phoenix Police Department
A couple of mule deer steer clear of a black rhino calf while he runs around his habitat. This calf was born at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. Despite their size and weight, black rhinos are known to run at speeds up to 40 miles per hour.
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NBC 6 South Florida
Three Sumatran tiger cubs roll, romp and playfully rumble in the tiger exhibit at the San Diego Zoo�s Wild Animal Park. The trio, born Nov. 13, 2008, was only recently allowed in the big outdoor enclosure for public viewing. They will be tussling (or sleeping) in the exhibit from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The four-month-old balls of tumbling fur showed their distinct personalities within their first weeks of life. Damai, a female whose name means peace in Indonesian, was the first to open her eyes and has an upside-down V above her nose and three separate markings above her right eye. Harimau Kayu, a male whose Indonesian name translates to tiger woods, is the noisiest and has a marking like a �check mark� ( v ) above his right eye. Kucing, a male whose name means cat in Indonesian, was the first to explore outside the den box. Now in their fourth month, Kucing is rivaling Harimau in noise production!rThe trio was born to Delta, a 10-year-old female. Utan, an 18-year-old male, is their father. This is the second time the pair has successfully bred. In 2006 they produced three cubs that now live at the Topeka Zoo.rThe Sumatran tiger is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, known as the IUCN. Only between 300 and 400 Sumatran tigers are left in the wild on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, mostly in national parks. There are only 350 in managed care. The primary threats to the Sumatran tiger are poaching, habitat destruction and elimination of prey.
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Aubri
Katie Buess, a keeper at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, fed carrots to Habari, a 5-month-old orphaned giraffe calf, while Pwani, an adult female giraffe, looked on. The male reticulated giraffe calf was orphaned in August after his mother died unexpectedly. Zookeepers, veterinarians and nutritionists supplemented the calf’s dietary needs, helping him beat the odds and become independent and integrated into the herd. Habari had already begun tasting solid foods, which allowed the animal care staff to feed him items like carrots to round out his diet.
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New York Live
Three of four meerkat pups stay close to each other at the San Diego Zoo. The pups are thriving and are scrambling about in their habitat with the whole group of 12 meerkats. After their birth they spent much of their first few weeks in the den. Animal care staff was not even certain how many pups there were initially, as mom would only allow one out at a time. The mother, Ngami, is the dominant female of the group, but the whole troop helps raise the pups.
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Josh Ault, NBC 5 News
Amara, an African cheetah cub, is being hand raised at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park.
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San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park
The female cub was born as a singleton to first-time mother named Kenya. Because singletons are often rejected and Kenya does not have previous experience, animal keepers stepped in to assist. The cub was born Feb. 19, 2009 and can be seen at the Wild Animal Park's Animal Care Center.
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Ana Danieluk
This cub was conceived with the help of bioacoustic technology applied by the San Diego Zoo's conservation researchers. Cheetahs at the Wild Animal Park had reached breeding age but they were not reproducing. The team of animal keepers and researchers joined efforts and discovered that a "stutter bark" encourages the females to go into estrus. The stutter bark was recorded and played back to the cheetahs resulting in the first successful breeding and first birth of an animal using bioacoustics.
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San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park
Once Amara is ready to leave the nursery in a few more weeks, she will become an animal ambassador for the Wild Animal Park.
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Angélica Carmona
Amara practices her growl while playing with a toy at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. The cub was born February 19th.
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Angélica Carmona
The African cheetah cub Amara shows off her bite while playing with toys in the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park's Animal Care Center. The cub weighs just four pounds.
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A baby western lowland gorilla has made his debut at the San Diego Zoo. Frank was born at the zoo in September and introduced to the public on Friday. Immediately after being placed in the Gorilla Tropics exhibit, Frank began crawling and foraging for food with his mother, 12-year-old Azizi, and the other gorillas. Zoo officials say Frank weighs 13 pounds, but he's expected to grow to more than 400 pounds by the time he is full grown at about age 15.
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Ken Bohn, Zoological Society of San Diego
San Diego- Thirteen Australian red-bellied short-necked turtles hatched at the San Diego Zoo. The hatchlings are about the size of a quarter. The females will grow as large as dinner plates while the males will reach only about four inches in diameter. This aquatic species is native to tropical regions of Australia and New Guinea.
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Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park
Ramir, a 7-week-old Indian rhinoceros, drank three bottles of milk from one of his caretakers, Marcia Diehl, a San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park keeper. Ramir was born to a first-time mother that was not producing enough milk and was not attentive to the newborn.
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Associated Press
A female koala joey born in 2008, at the San Diego Zoo holds onto its mother, Orana, in a tree.
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Jamie
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This 16-day-old giraffe met the rest of the giraffe herd on Aug. 15, 2014.
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