Singapore wildlife parks welcomed almost 800 animal babies in 2022

Singapore’s four wildlife parks welcomed close to 800 babies in 2022, said the Mandai Wildlife Group in a press release on Wednesday (Mar 8).

The births and hatchings were from a total of 126 species, with 38 of these listed as threatened under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

In its final year of operations, the Jurong Bird Park saw the successful hatching of two citron-crested cockatoos. This is the first time in 22 years that these critically endangered birds from Indonesia’s Sunda region were successfully hatched by the park.

They join other critically endangered new chicks including 13 Negros bleeding-heart pigeons, two Vietnam pheasants, a great green Macaw and a Red-fronted Macaw. 

The Negros bleeding-hearts are part of the first conservation breeding programme outside of their native country of Philippines, and the progenies will eventually be repatriated to boost wild populations.

Among the 21 first-time births across the parks is the Singapore Zoo’s baby Linne’s two-toed sloth. It was born two years after the arrival of Indigo, an adult female from Taipei Zoo, which became the mate of the zoo’s resident male sloth, Bunny. 

Another first-time birth at the Singapore Zoo is the Burmese star tortoise.

This critically endangered tortoise, with its black domed shell marked by distinctive yellow radiating patterns, is slowly making a comeback in the wild thanks to global conservation efforts.

The single egg was artificially incubated in RepTopia to ensure the best conditions for successful hatching.

Also making it to the list of new births are three Williams’ dwarf geckos, or electric blue geckos, 41 Golfodulcean poison dart frogs, six axolotls and a Lake Titicaca frog – all of which are considered threatened amphibian species. 

The zoo’s oldest pair of pygmy hippos, aged 33 and 32, gave birth to their 14th calf last year named Thabo. The calf’s name translates to “he who brings joy”.

The zoo’s endangered ring-tailed lemurs also expanded their troop with a sixth member. This is their first birth since 2014. The African painted dog pack also further expanded with the addition of seven pups.

The River Wonders maintained its good track record with the giant anteater, which is notoriously difficult to breed. Their latest addition is the park’s fifth anteater birth.

The Night Safari saw three additions of the critically endangered brush-tailed rat kangaroos, also known as Woylies, three oriental small-clawed otter pups, and an endangered Malayan tapir.

It also welcomed a baby Southern three-banded armadillo. This is the only species of armadillo that can encase itself in its shell to fend off predators. 

According to the Mandai Wildlife Group, the shy female baby has started transitioning to the adult diet that includes vegetables, mealworms and ant eggs in the back-of-house den with her mother.

The number of baby animals born across the parks in 2022 was a decrease from 2021, which saw nearly 900 animals born.