A newborn aardvark has been born at Chester Zoo for the first time in its 90-year history, writes lancs Conservationists discovered the new arrival snuggled up with its eight-year-old mum Oni and six-year-old dad Koos after it had been born overnight on January 4. The calf, born with large droopy ears, hairless wrinkled skin and giant claws, is currently being hand-reared every evening by zookeepers who are providing dedicated care, feeding the baby every few hours through the night for around five weeks, to help it gain strength. The sex of the new arrival is yet to be determined but staff have nicknamed the youngster Dobby due to its resemblance to the much-loved Harry Potter character. Aardvarks are native in sub-Saharan Africa where they are threatened by habitat loss as a result of agricultural development, which also bring them into conflict with local farmers. They are also hunted for their meat. The word aardvark translates to âearth pigâ in the language of Afrikaans. The nocturnal animals use their long noses and keen sense of smell to sniff out ants and termites, which they lap up with a long tongue measuring up to 25cm, covered in sticky saliva. The animals use their powerful claws to tear open termite mounds, as well as to dig underground burrows in which they sleep.Dave White, Team Manager at the zoo, said: âThis is the very first aardvark to be born at the zoo and so itâs a momentous landmark for us and a real cause for celebration. Weâre overjoyed. âAs soon as we spotted the new baby next to mum we noticed its uncanny resemblance to the Harry Potter character, Dobby, and so thatâs the calfâs nickname for the time being! We wonât though know for certain whether itâs male or female for several more weeks until the calf is a little older. âAardvark parents are notorious for being a little clumsy around their newborns. With the baby being so tiny and fragile, weâre therefore protecting it from any accidental knocks and bumps by helping mum out with supplementary feeding sessions throughout the night, just until the calf is a little stronger. ”So, in the evening, when the parents are out exploring and feeding, we carefully place the calf into a special incubator and take it home to feed with warm milk every few hours. The calf then spends the daytime bonding and snuggled up with mum Oni inside her burrow â and theyâre both doing great together.â

Chester Zoo overjoyed as it celebrates birth of its first ever aardvark
Leave a reply