The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden welcomed a tamandua baby in the wee morning hours on December 20. Labor was quick and mom, Isla, and pup, sex and name to be determined, are doing great and bonding in the Zoo’s Animal Ambassador Center (AAC).
“We have been waiting for this baby for what feels like forever and have been doing weekly ultrasounds since August,” said and Cincinnati Zoo Interpretive Animal Keeper Colleen Lawrence. “Since Tamanduas can be pregnant 130-190 days, we really didn’t know when it was going to happen. I actually don’t have words for how excited I am for this pup and how amazed I am watching Isla learning how to be a mom.”
Almost-five-year-old Isla has been at the Cincinnati Zoo since 2016 and is a first-time mom. She is doing everything she should be doing, and if all goes well the keeper staff will slowly open the blinds of their AAC habitat after 1-2 months. So, visitors could get a peek as soon as four weeks from now!
Tamanduas are similar to anteaters and use their long snouts to sniff out ant, termite and bee colonies. Long claws enable them to dig into nests, and a long sticky tongue licks up the insects. A single tamandua can eat up to 9,000 ants in a single day
PNC Festival of Lights
Cincinnati Zoo’s PNC Festival of Lights festivities resume on December 26, and run through January 1. Hours are 5 – 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 5 – 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Kids of all ages are invited for the 10th annual Happy Zoo Year, powered by Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Honda Dealers, on Monday, December 31, from 5-9 p.m.
Come out and meet Father Time and Baby Zoo Year during a one-of-a-kind meet and greet. Enjoy an EARLY Zoo Year Countdown starting at 8:55 p.m. and top off the night with party favors and Rozzi’s fireworks.
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
