|
Animals at Disney's Animal Kingdom
(photos below)
DAK
Celebrates the Birth of Endangered Gorilla
Guests
visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom are getting a special treat
along the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail where they can get
a rare glimpse of a newborn gorilla born Feb. 19, 2010. The
critically endangered western lowland gorilla, whose gender is
still unknown, is doing well and has already become an
integral member of the gorilla family group which includes
first-time mother, Kashata, father Gino, and two other
females, Benga and Hope.
Members of the primate team
at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are encouraged by Kashata’s
natural instincts at motherhood. First-time mothers often
experience difficulty knowing the right things to do. They
must learn to properly hold the baby and adapt to a demanding
nursing schedule. “Kashata has been a model mother
from the moment the baby was born, said Matt Hohne, animal
operations director for Disney’s Animal Programs. “She
immediately knew how to properly hold the baby and her nursing
skills have been exemplary."
Since Kashata has been
holding the baby close to her body, animal keepers have yet to
determine the baby’s gender. Most gorilla mothers keep their
offspring close for several months while the baby adjusts to
the environment. In addition, gorilla babies typically nurse
for approximately 12 months and may be weaned between the ages
of four and five.
The
new baby, which is yet to be named, is the third gorilla born
at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as part of the Association
of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan which
manages genetic diversity among species through detailed
records of individual animals. Disney’s Animal Kingdom also
participates in AZA Species Survival Plans for several other
animals, including elephants, cotton-top tamarins and okapi. The
first gorilla birth occurred in 1997 before Disney’s Animal
Kingdom opened, and the second baby arrived in 1999.
Aside from breeding
activities, Disney’s Animal Programs team remains active in
gorilla conservation in other areas. The team currently:
-
provides staff expertise
for the creation of the first rescue and
rehabilitation center in eastern Africa for orphaned
gorillas to ultimately reintroduce them back into the
wild. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has provided
funding to support this effort.
-
has developed an
innovative training technique that enables team members to
monitor the heart health of gorillas at Disney’s Animal
Kingdom by administering cardiac ultrasound exams on fully
alert gorillas.
Gorilla
Facts:
-
Gorillas are the largest
of all primates, standing 5-6 feet tall and weighing up to
450 pounds.
-
In the wild, western
lowland gorillas are found in lowland tropical rainforests
throughout western Africa.
-
Gorilla habitat in
Africa is quickly disappearing because of coltan mining, a
mineral used to make batteries for electronics. Recycling
cell phones or laptops may contribute to gorilla
conservation.
Bolo, born October 12,
2009, is one of two giraffes born within a week of each other
(Bruehler was born on October 5). (Copyright Walt Disney
World)
Disney's
Animal Kingdom Welcomes Gerenuk Calf to Herd
January 6, 2010--Disney's
Animal Kingdom recently welcomed its 28th
gerenuk calf weighing in at eight
pounds and approximately 1 ¾ feet
tall, after a seven-month gestation.
The female calf, named
Squirt, was born November 25 to her five-year-old
mother Sushaunna, and nine-year-old father Jingle. This latest
birth is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Gerenuk
Population Management Plan.
A gerenuk, which in Somali
means “giraffe-necked,” is an African antelope with a
unique long neck allowing them to eat leaves off trees. Unlike
other gazelles and most antelopes that graze on grasses,
gerenuks often stand erect on their hind legs and stretch
their long necks to browse on taller bushes. They are
typically found in areas of dry, bushy shrub. Gerenuk are very
well adapted to an arid habitat and do not need to drink much
since they get enough water from the plants they eat. Most
adult gerenuk reach approximately three feet at the shoulder
and range in weight from between 80 to 115 pounds.
At Disney’s Animal
Kingdom, guests can see gerenuk when they visit the Pangani
Forest Exploration Trail, a self-guided walking tour of native
African wildlife. Pangani means "place of
enchantment," and the exploration trail is an enchanting
adventure into a lush, tropical forest and a verdant valley
that are right out of the heart of Africa. In addition to
gerenuk, animals Guests can find on the trail include
gorillas, hippos, okapi, naked mole rats, meerkats and many
species of exotic birds.
Disney's
Animal Kingdom Welcomes Two Baby Giraffes
Weighing 153 pounds, Bolo
(see photo above) was born October 12 to second-time mother
Big Girl, who first birthed a female calf in November 2005. On
October 5, the Disney's Animal Programs team helped to deliver
166-pound calf Bruehler from third-time mother Aibuni. As
newborns, both male calves stand nearly six feet tall and
could grow to be as tall as 15-18 feet as adults.
Both calves and mothers
appear to be doing well, according to veterinarians and animal
care managers. The young males, who began nursing successfully
after birth, are already feisty and very active.
"The next important
milestone is for the calves to continue the bonding process
with their mothers, who will teach them important lessons and
guide them as they are introduced to the herd in the coming
weeks," said Matt Hohne, Animal Operations Director at
Disney's Animal Kingdom.
These latest bundles of joy
represent the 13th and 14th giraffes born at Disney's Animal
Kingdom since opening in 1998. Giraffes at WDW are bred
through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Population
Management Plan, which is a consortium of zoos and wildlife
parks working together to conserve and breed animals.
Other fun facts about
giraffes:
-
The typical gestation
period for a giraffe is approximately 15 months;
-
An adult giraffe's neck
alone can measure up to 7 feet, and their tongues can be
as long as 18 inches;
-
Each giraffe has a
unique set of skin markings, similar to a human
fingerprint;
-
Same as people, giraffes
have seven neck vertebrae bones.
Disney's
Animal Kingdom Welcomes Endangered White Rhino to Growing
Herd
Disney's Animal Kingdom
welcomed a healthy white rhino to the family last week
with the addition of a female calf born Sunday, Jan. 17.
Kendi, an 11-year-old white rhino, gave birth to her
third baby after a 16-month gestation period. The baby,
which has not yet been named, is the eighth white rhino
born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom; her mother, Kendi, was
the first.
"A rhino birth is
considered to be a significant event since the species was
once nearly extinct and is currently endangered,”
according to Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., vice president of
Disney’s Animal Programs and Environmental Initiatives.
“Under protection and careful management, this species
has grown to approximately 11,000 worldwide, with 190
residing in North American zoos."
During her first
weigh-in on Jan. 22, the newborn weighed 178 pounds. The
calf and mother are currently off the savannah bonding at
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but will return to the herd in
the coming months. Disney's
Animal Kingdom participates in a white rhino breeding program
coordinated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
The program focuses on sustaining the white rhino population
in North America. Many older rhinos in the population have not
bred and it is important for the long term survival of the
North American population for this species to continue to
reproduce. At Disney’s
Animal Kingdom, the success of the rhino breeding program has
enabled team members to make a direct contribution to the
conservation of white rhinos in the wild. In 2006, Nande and
Hasani, two rhinos born at Disney's Animal Kingdom, traveled
to Africa to join four others at Ziwa Sanctuary in
Uganda, reestablishing a white rhino population there that had
been extinct since the 1980s. Last year, Nande gave birth to
the first white rhino born in Uganda in 27 years. Walt
Disney World's commitment to conservation and rhinos goes
beyond rhino breeding. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund
has supported more than $250,000 in rhino protection and
research projects in partnership with non-profit organizations
throughout the world. For more information on the Disney
Worldwide Conservation Fund visit. White
rhino fun facts:
-
White rhinos have no
incisors or canine teeth and use their square lips to
graze or browse large areas of grassland.
-
White rhinos are named
not for their color, which is gray, but for the shape of
their mouths. The word “weit” in Afrikaans means wide.
|
