News Category: Zoo Borns

ZooTampa at Lowry Park is celebrating a remarkable milestone: the birth of twin manatee calves. Named “Tide” and “Ripple” by keepers, the pair represent only the second set of manatee twins ever recorded in a managed care facility in North America.

The calves were born to mother “Savanna,” a rescued manatee who has been resident at ZooTampa since 2019. Both calves are nursing successfully and have passed initial health screenings.

“Manatee reproduction in managed care is already rare,” said senior veterinarian Dr. Angela Green. “Twins are extraordinary. We are watching them very carefully, but so far the prognosis is excellent.”

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is thrilled to announce the birth of three healthy Amur tiger cubs. Born to first-time mother “Katya,” the triplets — two males and one female — are thriving under attentive maternal care.

Amur tigers are critically endangered, with fewer than 500 individuals estimated to remain in the Russian Far East. The cubs’ birth is the result of a carefully managed breeding recommendation from the Species Survival Plan.

“Each birth is a victory for this species,” said Columbus Zoo carnivore curator Devin Walsh. “We’re overjoyed by how naturally Katya has taken to motherhood.”

Denver Zoo is celebrating the birth of a western lowland gorilla, one of the world’s most endangered great apes. The infant was born overnight to first-time mother “Tinga” and has been nursing successfully under her attentive care.

Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, with habitat loss and poaching threatening remaining wild populations. The birth was the result of a pairing recommended by the AZA’s Gorilla Species Survival Plan.

“Tinga has been a natural from the first moment,” said gorilla curator Jamie Howell. “Watching her hold and care for her baby with such confidence is one of those moments that reminds you why this work matters.”