Spring has sprung, and the LA Zoo is welcoming several baby animals into the fold. The first baby chimpanzee in thirteen years was born March 6 and just went on display yesterday. ViAccording to the press release, “Chimpanzees are currently on the endangered species list. Wild populations in the African forest have decreased because of foresting, hunting, commercial exportation, and collection for scientific research.”
Desert Bighorn Sheep lambs joined the zoo family at the end of April and the beginning of May. Two females and one male are a welcome addition to a family of five adult females, one adult male, and one male kid. “The desert bighorn sheep has been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since 1998 due to loss of habitat, disease broughtby introduced domestic sheep and cattle, and predation.”
Always popular with visitors, three giant otter pups currently reside in the nursery of the Winnick Family Animal Care Center. “The giant otter is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Hunting otters for pelts is now illegal, but laws against poaching are difficult to enforce in their wild range within north-central South America. They are also threatened by chemical pollution in the water caused by runoff from farms, oil drilling and mining operations, and deforestation.”
In addition, the zoo was blessed with a Sifaka lemur, and baby Yarrow’s Spiny Lizards are new residents of the Lair.
