Bowie, the first giant anteater born at Zoo Miami, could be seen showing off his enormous tongue as visitors were able to see the newborn on display for the. Zoo members are taking care of this baby giant anteater after its mother rejected the newborn. Staff found the baby, believed to be a male, in a corner of its holding area on one of the coldest. Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) two week old baby held by keeper, France. Myrmecophaga tridactyla. Availability World wide. 5100 x 3394 pixels. 43.18 x 28.74 cm (300 dpi) 17 x 11.31 inch (300 dpi). There's a new addition at the Miami Zoo: a baby giant anteater The Miami Zoo has a new resident. © From Ron Magill/Miami Zoo Ziggy Ebenezer, was born on December 8, the same date as its mother, at. Laura, a 7-year-old female giant anteater at Zoo Miami, gave birth to what is believed to be a male baby sometime during the early morning hours of December 8. Zoo officials said this was also.
On one of the coldest nights in the city, the Miami Zoo received an addition to their family. A giant anteater baby called Ziggy Ebenezer was born on December 8. However, the newborn male was found abandoned by his 7-year-old mother, Laura, in a corner in the cold and was weak as per a press release by the zoo. Ziggy was found by zookeepers who quickly transported him to a zoo hospital for better care and treatment. He was placed in intensive care. While Ziggy's chances of survival looked slim initially, he responded well after getting warm and being fed.
'Zoo keepers were able to collect natural milk from the mom which was supplemented with a formula substitute and was initially administered directly into the infant’s stomach through a tube that was carefully inserted through the mouth,' the release noted. After Ziggy gained some strength, he was taken back to his enclosure to his mother but the reception was cold. 'Though the mother initially allowed the baby to be placed on her back, she soon became intolerant of it and her behavior indicated that she was not going to care for it and that it would need to be returned to the hospital for hand-rearing,' the release added.
Ziggy was tube-fed initially, and as he regained his strength, he switched to drinking from a bottle on his own. He needed to be fed every 3 hours and had to be monitored around the clock. Ziggy's 'distinct black and white coat' began to appear after a while. However, veterinarians are 'cautiously optimistic that the baby has overcome the most serious challenges of its first few days and are hoping that the improvements continue though there are still obstacles ahead as there would be for any infant in this situation.' And they were not wrong.
Baby Giant Anteater Houston Zoo
In a Facebook post on December 22, the zoo gave more updates on Ziggy's improvement since his birth. It noted that the animal 'is doing very well and continuing to gain weight.' They wrote: Thank you to our community for the warm wishes in welcoming 'Ziggy Ebenezer', the baby boy anteater, to the family! Since his birth on 12/8, it has been confirmed that he is in fact a boy, and Our wonderful staff will continue to hand-rear him until he is big enough to be introduced to his habitat. Giant anteaters are normally found in Central and South America. However, their population is slowly declining due to habitat loss, as a result of which they have been placed on the list of vulnerable animals.
Baby Giant Anteater Born In Zoo
This species of anteaters among the largest of the four known and they can easily grow to 6-8 feet. They are also known as 'ant bear' due to their appearance and have a 2-foot long tongue that can lick up 150 ants and termites per minute. While they have no teeth, they make up for it with their powerful front claws which can be used to fend off threats.