SAN ANTONIO – Who doesn’t love cute animals? The internet rallied around Moo Deng and Pesto, and in San Antonio, we had our own bunch of animals making some headlines.
Here’s a look at this year’s animal stories:
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‘New beginnings, new babies’: San Antonio Zoo celebrates birth of babirusa piglet
The San Antonio Zoo saw a significant milestone for babirusa piglet conservation efforts in early January.
The early 2024 birth of a babirusa piglet was the first for parents Sula and Kreacher, highlighting the zoo’s dedication to caring for vulnerable species like the babirusa, which is native to Indonesia and listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The zoo said babirusas give birth to only one to two piglets, making each birth a rare event.
Unique-looking bird is part of baby boom at San Antonio Zoo
The San Antonio Zoo welcomed a unique-looking baby bird, a crested coua, amid a baby boom leading up to Mother’s Day.
The crested coua is known for its distinctive target-like markings in its mouth.
An exceedingly rare Micronesian kingfisher, a species believed to be extinct in the wild, was among the new births.
Thailand’s adorable pygmy hippo Moo Deng has the kind of face that launches a thousand memes
Moo Deng (which translates to “bouncy pork”), a pygmy hippopotamus at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, gained global attention in July with her charming appearance and lively personality, inspiring her own cryptocurrency.
While her popularity has highlighted the plight of the endangered pygmy hippos, with fewer than 3,000 left in the wild, it has also led to some negative behaviors from visitors, such as splashing water to wake her. Despite this, the zoo has addressed these issues, and fans can now watch Moo Deng via a 24-hour livestream.
Moo Deng also has an official song available in four languages: Thai, English, Chinese, and Japanese, featuring simple lyrics and a music video with clips of Moo Deng bouncing and playing.
SeaWorld San Antonio names two new aquatic animals
SeaWorld San Antonio added new additions to its whale and dolphin pods after a summer baby boom in July.
The names of the beluga calf and Pacific white-sided dolphin calf remained a mystery until late October when the park released them for all to “sea.”
The male beluga calf is named “Rurik.” He was born at 135 pounds but now weighs over 300 pounds.
The female dolphin calf is named “Mai’a.” She weighed 23 pounds at birth and has now almost quadrupled in size.
The births of the two calves happened within two days of each other at the Beluga Whale and Dolphin Stadium, SeaWorld said.
SeaWorld also welcomed a California sea lion, a harbor seal, and a critically endangered radiated tortoise, according to a news release in July.
These adorable animals are taking over the internet, and we’re living for it
A baby king penguin named Pesto in Melbourne, Australia, gained international attention for his impressive size, weighing around 46 pounds at just nine months old, which is larger than a fully-grown adult of his species.
The Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium attributed Pesto’s size to his diet of 25 fish a day and genetics. The aquarium noted that Pesto’s size would decrease once he started losing his baby feathers.
New female giraffe ‘Waffles’ marks conservation efforts at San Antonio Zoo
The San Antonio Zoo welcomed Waffles, a female Reticulated giraffe, to its Naylor Savanna exhibit on Nov. 29.
Born on March 4, 2023, at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Waffles' transfer to the zoo is part of the Species Survival Plan, a conservation initiative to manage genetically diverse animal populations.
The zoo said Waffles has an inquisitive personality and showed early maternal instincts.
