Baby-fest at Blackpool Zoo as 50 new faces appear

Blackpool Zoo has welcomed more than 50 tiny faces to its line up of really wild residents so far in 2016.
Blackpool Zoo's baby Bactrian camelBlackpool Zoo's baby Bactrian camel
Blackpool Zoo's baby Bactrian camel

From critically endangered species on the brink of extinction to the just downright cute, each and every one of them has brought joy to keepers and visitors alike.

The largest baby to be born was also the most endangered.

A Bactrian camel calf, named Clyde, was born after a 13-month gestation in March and, with just 600 left in the wild, his birth is hugely significant.

Blackpool Zoo's baby CapybaraBlackpool Zoo's baby Capybara
Blackpool Zoo's baby Capybara
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Other mammal babies included a Californian sealion, who can be seen swimming in the Active Oceans pool, numerous wallabies, two donkeys, a reindeer, a long-nosed potoroo, a dwarf mongoose, a sitatunga, a capybara and lots and lots of guinea pigs!

A whole host of feathery friends also hatched including two Caribbean flamingos, an Eastern White Pelican, 10 Fulvous ducks, three Rosses Snow geese, one Blue Throated Piping Guan, four Black Headed Weavers, five Galahs, one Eider duck and more than 20 wild Barnacle geese.

There has also been a flurry of primate births too, with Ring-Tailed lemurs, Red-Fronted lemurs and Squirrel monkeys all arriving in abundance.

Two King Colobus monkeys and a De Brazza monkey finish the super furry line up.

Blackpool Zoo's baby donkeyBlackpool Zoo's baby donkey
Blackpool Zoo's baby donkey
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Peter Dillingham, animal manager at Blackpool Zoo, said: “It has been a fantastic year for babies here at Blackpool Zoo with birth and hatching news coming thick and fast all season.

“The success is testament to all the hard work our keepers do every single day of the year and we are looking forward to watching these youngsters grow in the coming months and years.

“It appears we haven’t finished yet either, we are currently monitoring a few mothers-to-be and are hoping to be making some more very exciting announcements in the run up to Christmas.”

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