Over the past year or so, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has had a baby boom of sorts, from a jaguar and tiger triplets to bongos and a kudu. With each new arrival, including some endangered species, the zoo on the city's Northside continues its conservation mission.
The zoo works with other zoos and wildlife protection agencies across the world as one of the 239 accredited members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which sets standards for animal welfare and facility operations and oversees multiple species conservation/survival programs.
"We are a conservation organization. We're here to make a difference in the world and to help ensure that future generations can experience wildlife and wild places," said Jeff Ettling, president and CEO of Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.
Here is a roundup of some of Jacksonville's recent zoo babies:
Banks the Jaguar
The first jaguar cub born at the zoo in almost 10 years arrived in 2023. The cub was named Banks by a public vote because of the connection to the St. Johns River and home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, long known as The Bank after stadium sponsor TIAA Bank. He turned 1 in April. Because of poaching, habitat loss and human conflict, jaguars are designated as "near threatened" but are now found in 19 countries: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, United States and Venezuela.
Eastern bongos
Part of the antelope family, critically endangered Eastern bongos are born at the zoo regularly, four since June 2023 alone. Bongos have white horizontal stripes down their backs and are the only antelope with spiraled horns, usually with one or one-and-a-half twists, that adorn both sexes. They are native to Kenya, but the African population is shrinking because of habitat loss, illegal logging and poaching. Only 47 to 140 are estimated to be left in their natural habitat. Since 2009, 27 bongos have been born at the local zoo, with many of them relocated since to other facilities.
Greater kudu
In July 2023 there was another addition to the zoo's growing herd of antelope species, a greater kudu. The largest of the antelope family, they are "greater" as compared to the "lesser" kudu, which is considerably smaller. They have six to 10 vertical white stripes on their bodies and a white V-shaped band between the eyes. The males have large spiraling horns and thick beards running down their throats. Greater kudu are found throughout Southern and Eastern Africa and their population is currently considered stable.
Lemurs
in January the zoo welcomed a Coquerel's sifaka, a critically endangered type of lemur known for jumping vertically like a pogo stick. The female infant is the third of its species born at the zoo in as many years. Native to Madagascar, their numbers have declined to about 200,000 because of hunting and habitat destruction. They are named after French entomologist Charles Coquerel and are one of the largest of lemur, with healthy adults weighing as much as 9 pounds.
Later in the year, the zoo for the first time welcomed a Mongoose lemur, also a Madagascar native and critically endangered because of hunting and loss of habitat. The smallest species of their genus, mongoose lemurs weigh about 3 pounds. The zoo is a contributing member of the Madagascar Fauna & Flora Group, an international nonprofit consortium of zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens and universities working to conserve the East African country's biodiversity.
Malayan tigers
In November 2023, critically endangered Malayan tiger triplets born were born at the zoo. With their parents, the arrival of Mina, Machli and Beppy made the zoo home to a total of five Malayan tigers. Tigers play a critical role in their natural habitat by balancing and maintaining a thriving ecosystem, zoo officials said, but there are fewer than 150 individual Malayan tigers left in the wild because of habitat loss due to development, agriculture expansion and hunting. Malayan tigers are "a national symbol and a priority conservation target," according to World Wildlife Fund-Malaysia. Malaysia had an estimated 3,000 tigers in the 1950s.
Magellan penguins
A quartet of Magellanic penguin chicks broke a 13-year-old record when they hatched — one at a time over six days in May 2023 — at the local zoo. Their arrival marked the largest number of hatchings in a single season since the opening of the zoo's Tuxedo Coast habitat in 2010. The zoo now has 33 Magellanic penguins, 14 of which have hatched on site. They are native to the coasts of Argentina and Chile and are one of the eight penguin species found in South America and the surrounding islands. They are not endangered, but their numbers are decreasing.
What else is at the Jacksonville Zoo?
The 100-year-old zoo is at 370 Zoo Parkway and has about 2,000 rare and exotic animals and 1,000 species of plants, with the largest botanical garden in Northeast Florida. About 38% of the zoo's animal species are designated as critically endangered, endangered, threatened or vulnerable in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The zoo is a nonprofit and a portion of ticket proceeds go to 45 conservation initiatives in the area an around the world. For more information, go to jacksonvillezoo.org.
bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109
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