A New Baby Giant Anteater Born at the Santa Ana Zoo!

Giant Anteater Baby Born in Santa Ana

A few short years ago, a new biome was designed and built at the Santa Ana Zoo.  Called the "Tierra de las Pampas", the concept was to emulate the grasslands of South America.  When the animals were chosen for this new habitat, then Zoo Director Ron Glazier incorporated the visionary idea of a breeding program for the Giant Anteaters. 
Who would have guessed that the program would be as wildly successful as it has been?

At the time, there were less than 100 Giant Anteaters in Zoos in the US, and many of them were related to each other.  That severely limited the ability to have new offspring for Zoos.
Working with the AZA Species Survival Plan Program, which manages and conserves select threatened or endangered species through the cooperation of AZA-accredited Zoos and Aquariums, The Friends of the Santa Ana Zoo helped to send key Zoo and veterinary staff to a facility in South America to bring back a pair of Giant Anteaters.  The anteaters met and hit it off, and this is the second successful birth for these proud parents.
 

 
The baby was born  on October 15, 2012.  The mother sleeps quite a bit after a birth, so mother and baby were not viewable by the public for the last few weeks.  The anteater pup is suspected (unconfirmed) to be female, and is very healthy.  The baby has been nursing from the mother and will eventually graduate to the standard anteater diet.
At birth, the baby has a full coat of hair and immediately scrambles for the mother’s back, where it will ride for up to a year. The babies are weaned at 6 months, and become independent at 24 months.

The anteater mother and baby can be viewed for part of the day in the smaller anteater yard, as the baby builds its strength for rides on the mother around the main yard, and eventually on its own.

 
Giant Anteaters are endemic to grasslands, rainforests, and mixed forest in Central and South America.
A quarter of Earth was once covered by grasslands, but much of these have now been turned into farms. This has resulted in a widespread loss of wildlife habitat. There are less than 5,000 Giant Anteaters left in the wild, and more of their native grassland is destroyed every day for development of urban spaces, farming, and other uses.

The Santa Ana Zoo is proud to be an AZA accredited Zoo, and of the role we play in animal conservation worldwide by participating in Species Survival Plan Programs like this.


 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                        Contact: Kent Yamaguchi

November 6, 2012                                                                         Zoo Manager

                                                                                                   (714) 647-6522
                                                                                                   kyamaguchi@santa-ana.org

STORK VISITS SANTA ANA ZOO!

            There’s a new baby nosing around in Orange County. The Santa Ana Zoo in Prentice Park is pleased to announce the birth of a giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) on the October 15, 2012. Born to father “Peter” of University of California, Irvine fame and mother “Heesoo of Troy”, this birth has been highly anticipated by Zoo staff.  Animal keeper and veterinary staff were able to perform ultrasounds to monitor the developing baby during the six month pregnancy.  All appears well to Zoo staff and the pup is most often observed sleeping on mom with her tail draped over it.    

The yet-to-be-named baby will ride around on its mother’s back up to 10 months while growing to over half her size.  Giant anteaters are found in the tropical forests and grasslands of Central and South America.  They are considered vulnerable in the wild due to habitat loss and hunting. In the wild anteaters may eat up to 30,000 ants and termites a day.  The Zoo feeds a commercial food designed for insect-eating animals, plus spinach, papaya, hardboiled egg, banana and sometimes avocado--all mixed in a blender and presented as a “smoothie.”  The baby will nurse for approximately six months.

The Santa Ana Zoo acquired giant anteaters in 2009 from a partner facility in South America with the help of donations from the UC Irvine Alumni Association and the Mike Schroeder Family.  This is the second birth of this species at the Santa Ana Zoo and was a collaborative effort of the Species Survival Plan Program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The mission of the Species Survival Plan Program is to manage and conserve select threatened or endangered species through the cooperation of AZA-accredited Zoos and Aquariums.

The new baby will be difficult to see for the next few weeks as she spends time bonding with her mother who is spending most of her time in the quiet off-exhibit sleeping quarters.  The Santa Ana Zoo in Prentice Park is located at 1801 Chestnut Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701.  Hours are 10:00AM – 4:00PM.  Admission is $10.00 for adults, $7.00 for seniors and children 3-12 years.  Children under three are free.    
 For more information call 714-836-4000 or visit our website at: www.santaanazoo.org.  You can also follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SantaAnaZoo and join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Santa.Ana.Zoo .

“Wild Cats of El Bosque Verde”

A New Ocelot Exhibit For the Santa Ana Zoo!

The Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park has always been known as "the Monkey Zoo" but continues to grow beyond that identity into a venue for the conservation of many species of animals.

The Zoo is divided into areas featuring separate biomes to show people the different types of habitats animals around the world live in.  The most recent space was the Tierra de las Pampas grasslands biome, featuring the animals and plants you might encounter in the Pampas areas of South America.
A brand new biome, the “Wild Cats of El Bosque Verde”, will feature the jungles of the Amazon basin, and will feature a new Ocelot habitat.
Ocelots are “exotic” wild cats from South America which are often described as “miniature cheetahs.”   They can be found distributed extensively over South America, Central America, and Mexico.   
In some areas, like in Brazil, extensive development and destruction of natural forests, as well as hunting for the pelts of the Ocelots has decimated the animal population and they are now endangered.  There are currently only 26 Brazilian ocelots in the United States. Scientists hope to increase that number to 120 in captivity by the year 2025.   The Brazilian ocelots, a subspecies of ocelots (there are eight), are one of the smallest felines found in the tropical rainforest. 

Whether the Santa Ana Zoo will be home to the endangered Brazilian Ocelots or one of the other Ocelot subspecies has not yet been determined. The Zoo is working closely with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to see what other facilities are taking care of the captive ocelot population in the U.S.   "We know that people love cats and there are cats that need homes," said Kent Yamaguchi, zoo manager. "We're working on getting them here." 

Picture yourself in the jungle.  You hear something ahead in the brush, but can't see anything.
In a flash, the Ocelot breaks cover and runs to a high perch up in the trees, where it turns to watch you for a bit.  You see glimpses of it as it moves quietly overhead in the jungle canopy.  Another burst of movement and the Ocelot climbs again to another tree, where its unique spotted fur makes it blend in and, just like that, the elusive Ocelot is gone again...

The new "El Bosque Verde" (The Green Jungle) area will be a gateway into the Amazon Jungle basin biome at the Zoo.  The concept is that it will immerse you in a different environment, much in the same way the "Tierra de las Pampas" exhibit transports you to the grasslands.
Featuring a canopy of trees and dense shady areas like you might find in the Amazon Basin, the new exhibit space will make use of shade and light to provide a more natural setting for the animals.  As you walk through, you will be surrounded by foliage and trees, a perfect natural scenic counterpart to surrounding exhibits like the "Colors of the Amazon" aviary and the "Amazon's Edge" lagoon.  It will also preserve the Orchid Tree gardens at the Zoo, using those trees for shade and pathway definition.  The new Ocelot habitat will be the anchor exhibit for this new biome space.

The Ocelot habitat will be a design integrating an interactive exhibit for the cats that will give visitors a view of the cats' habitat, but will also give the cats privacy.  "We are known as an intimate zoo. People really like that they can get close to the animals, see their expressions and see them interact very closely," Yamaguchi said. "We want to maintain that idea of intimacy in the cat exhibit, but these cats like to be secretive. We'll make sure they have places to be seen if they want, but also they'll have hiding places."

  
The design of the habitat includes 2 separate animal areas, allowing for future expansion, or a breeding program.  Some of the surrounding trees will be incorporated into the area, giving the cats a place to climb and play, and preserving some of the older growth in the area.  ELM design has worked hard on a design concept that allows for good viewing area for the public, but is still providing a comfort zone for the animals, and ease of maintenance for the staff.  There are also lots of interactive educational elements around the area to teach the guests about the Ocelots and the Amazon jungle.

It's an exciting time at the Santa Ana Zoo in Prentice Park.  The opportunity to grow and be involved in new Species Survival Programs is a great thing for this Zoo.  As an AZA certified facility, conservation is so important to us, and educating the public about endangered species and the need to protect them is part of our mission.

For those of us who are proud to live in Orange County and share the magic and joy of the Santa Ana Zoo, we know that our rare opportunity is now and that it is the perfect time to begin building our future. 
You can help support the Friends of the Santa Ana Zoo and raise funds for the upcoming Ocelot Habitat by donating today.
When you click here to donate, every dollar will go directly toward supporting this and other important and unique exhibits. It is a rare opportunity to be given the chance to help create something so educationally important, so visually stimulating, and so powerful in its conservation message, that it will become a living, growing legacy for many generations to come.
Our future at the Santa Ana Zoo in Prentice Park is a cutting-edge vision – creating four major biomes of the South American Neo-tropics that will thrill our 70,000 school children and our 250,000 visitors each year.

For information on the Santa Ana Zoo, see our website at www.santaanazoo.org

Rare Monkey Born at the Santa Ana Zoo!

The Santa Ana Zoo in Prentice Park is pleased to announce the birth of a Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin on April 26, 2012. 

Closely related to the Golden Lion Tamarin, Golden-Headed Lion Tamarins have a black body with a golden-orange face and hands.  Weighing less than 1 pound as adults, the babies tip the scale at about 1/8th of a pound!  These rare monkeys are only found on the Atlantic coast of Brazil and are on special loan from the Brazilian government.

Photo by Ethan Fisher

Golden Lion Headed Tamarins are considered to be endangered by the IUCN.

Zoos have worked together for several decades on the conservation of this species.  Captive breeding, habitat restoration, conservation education and reintroductions into the wild are all part of the international effort to protect this species.   This birth is a great boost to the conservation program. 

 The Santa Ana Zoo’s four Golden-Headed Lion Tamarins combined with eleven closely related Golden Lion Tamarins make up one of the largest groups of lion tamarins in North America.

The Golden-Headed Lion Tamarins' preferred habitat is within mature forest, and it is found only in the lowland and premontane tropical forest fragments in the state of Bahia, in Brazil.   It has a very wide diet; it eats plants, flowers, nectar, insects and small invertebrates; which include insect larvae, spiders, snails, frogs, lizards, bird eggs and small snakes.



 The new baby is on view for the public daily between 10:00AM and 4:00PM at the Santa Ana Zoo in Prentice Park, 1801 Chestnut Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701. 

Admission is $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for seniors and children 3-12 years. Children under three are free. 

 

Photo by Ethan Fisher

  For more information call 714-836-4000 or visit our website at: www.santaanazoo.org.