Philly

Baby boom at the Philadelphia Zoo: 6 new arrivals including endangered species

A glimpse of the Philadelphia Zoo’s adorable babies.

In April, the zoo welcomed its first baby of the boom, a Francois Langur named Lei. The baby comes months after another birth in December, baby Quý Báu. Because the species is listed on the ICU’s critically endangered list, this is a major achievement for the survival of the species. 

The Zoo’s CEO & President, Vikram H. Dewan said, “Working closely with the Species Survival Program (SSP), whose mission is to manage populations of threatened, and endangered species across AZA zoos, and maintain long-term genetic and demographic viability, the Zoo’s animal teams’ efforts resulted in incredible new additions to our Zoo family. These births are critical to each species’ overall population.” 

These accomplishments were seen again with the zoo’s Mongoose lemurs. The small animals are native to Madagascar and are currently listed on the ICU’s critically endangered list due to habitat destruction. Mom Natasha and dad Ernesto welcomed a baby in May.

At Penguin Point, a new baby chick was born as well. The chick, adorably named Juice, is the 19th addition to the Humboldt penguin colony. The baby is being lovingly cared for by foster parents due to the biological father’s daily medication requirements.

In May, a White-handed Gibbon baby was born, the fifth child to mom and dad. The bay is now doing incredible exploring the outdoor and indoor exhibits in the PECO Primate Reserve while still staying close to mom.

Finally, towards the end of May, a Hoffman two-toed Sloth was born. The Small Mammal House where they reside is not currently open to the public. As a slow-moving, arboreal species, mom and baby are enjoying the quiet.    

Visit The Zoo

Visit these cuties at the Philadelphia Zoo and check out the other amazing exhibits the zoo has to offer. You can reserve tickets on the Philadelphia Zoo website.


Sophia Healy

Sophia Healy is an editorial intern with Green Philly. She is a writer and environmentalist from South Philadelphia and a graduate of Temple University. She enjoys exploring the nature of Philly and discovering the many opportunities the city has to offer.

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