Monarto Safari Park Celebrate Baby Boom

While a winter chill grips Adelaide, staff at Monarto Safari Park could be forgiven for thinking it is spring with a slate of baby births across the world’s largest safari park.

The births include a lemur infant, eland and nyala calves and a zebra foal. A number of the species are part of breeding programs for their threatened species aiming to create an insurance population which will protect against their extinction.

In the Land of the Lemurs walk-through habitat, matriarch Spindles, a ring-tailed lemur has welcomed an infant. The fourteen year old female leads the 17 strong lemur troop in the habitat but her breeding future was unknown due to a health issue.

Senior Keeper of Primates, Laura Hanley said: “Due to health issues she had an ovary removed and her breeding future was unknown, this little pup is a very welcome addition to the troop.”

Over at the waterhole habitat a number of the zoo’s hoofstock herds have new members. A tiny pup was welcomed to the nyala herd with mother Thandi giving birth on June 2. The eland herd have also welcomed three calves in recent weeks. Both the nyala and eland are species of spiral-horned antelope.

“Monarto Safari Park is home to nearly 40 Eland that form several herds in the park,” said keeper Vaughan Wilson. While that may seem a large number herds of eland in the wild can grow to include up to 500 members.

Finishing up the baby boom is a plains zebra foal born on June 19. “Born to mum Cecile and dad Storm, a little Plains Zebra foal, has joined the herd. The Plains Zebra is a near-threatened species with a decline in its population across Africa. Trade in the skin of the Plains Zebra is still particularly prevalent in Eastern Africa,” finished Vaughan.