
There must be something in the water at the Lincoln Park Zoo. This Aug., several newborn animals entered the zoo’s family: 18 ornate box turtles; three tiny Bali mynah chicks; a Bolivian gray titi monkey; and a newborn Grevy’s zebra.
Many of these animals represent the growth of severely threatened animal populations. The Bali mynah, for example, is considered functionally extinct in the wild (in the early 1990s, there were just 15 birds on their native island of Bali). And the ornate box turtles--when born, they were just the size of a quarter--will spend just a year at the zoo before being released into their natural home, Illinois sand prairie, as part of a conservation effort between the Lincoln Park Zoo and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
The newborn zebra was born as part of the Grevy’s zebra Species Survival Plan, which manages the zoo population of the endangered African animal. After a yearlong gestation period, the foal, named Kito, was finally born on Aug. 23.--Ruthie Kott
Many of these animals represent the growth of severely threatened animal populations. The Bali mynah, for example, is considered functionally extinct in the wild (in the early 1990s, there were just 15 birds on their native island of Bali). And the ornate box turtles--when born, they were just the size of a quarter--will spend just a year at the zoo before being released into their natural home, Illinois sand prairie, as part of a conservation effort between the Lincoln Park Zoo and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
The newborn zebra was born as part of the Grevy’s zebra Species Survival Plan, which manages the zoo population of the endangered African animal. After a yearlong gestation period, the foal, named Kito, was finally born on Aug. 23.--Ruthie Kott