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Wildlife Reserves Singapore report over 700 animal births
A new baby Sumatran orangutan clings to its mother as it stares solemnly toward the camera
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A new baby Sumatran orangutan clings to its mother as it stares solemnly toward the camera. The new arrival is of royal lineage â he is the great-grandson of the Singapore Zoo's famous grand dame Ah Meng. (Photo courtesy of Wildlife Reserves Singapore) (Photo courtesy of Wildlife Reserves Singapore)
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span class="inline inline-center">A new baby Sumatran orangutan clings to its mother as it stares solemnly toward the camera. The new arrival is of royal lineage ' he is the great-grandson of the Singapore Zoo's famous grand dame Ah Meng. (Photo courtesy of Wildlife Reserves Singapore)
Over 700 animals, ranging from across 150 different species, were born or hatched at Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) attractions, including Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari and Singapore Zoo, last year.
One of the year's highlights was the birth of a critically endangered Sumatran orangutan on Sept. 16, the great-grandson of Singapore Zoo's late icon, Ah Meng, according to a WRS press release on Tuesday.
To date, over 40 orangutan are reported to have been born at Singapore Zoo. As part of a worldwide exchange program, many were later sent to zoological institutions in Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Japan, Australia and New Zealand to facilitate breeding programs. Throughout 2015, the zoo also saw the birth of many critically endangered cotton-top tamarins, endangered Southern white rhinoceros and pygmy hippopotamus.
At Jurong Bird Park, the year's highlights include the hatching of two Bali mynahs and eight Luzon bleeding-heart doves. The former is considered to have been a particularly special moment as it is thought to be the first time Bali mynah chicks have been hand-raised. The park is said to be working closely with Avilon Zoo and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines and Begawan Foundation in Bali to increase the birds' off-site numbers.
Meanwhile, River Safari welcomed a manatee calf in October in addition to the births of several capybara, a super-sized rodent native to South America and the hatching of unusual amphibians such as the fire-bellied newt, a species of small newt native to China.
At the Night Safari, the birth of Malayan sambar deer, Malayan bearded pig, binturong, hog badger, and the endangered Burmese brow-antlered deer represented a boost in the Southeast Asian animal population.
'Captive breeding programs play an important role in conserving threatened animal species whose numbers are declining as a result of activities like habitat destruction and poaching," said Wildlife Reserves Singapore deputy CEO and chief life sciences officer Cheng Wen-Haur in a press release on Tuesday.
"Some of them can be valuable assurance colonies against extinction in the wild, with the aim of ultimate release back to nature, while all of them are ambassadors representing their relatives in the wild," he added. (kes)(+)
