Baby boom at the Zoo

So far this year, 71 animals have been born to the zoo. It is also tops in breeding endangered species

By Neo Hui Min

WHEN it comes to breeding animals in captivity, particularly those on the endangered list, the Singapore Zoological Gardens is among the best in the world.

Malayan tiger cubs born and bred in the zoo. Some of the 22 bred here are on loan to other zoos for breeding.

Last year, of the 434 animals born there, 297 survived. Almost seven out of every 10 births were animals which are listed as endangered species.

The Singapore Zoological Gardens is now recognised as one of the top five zoos in the world for breeding endangered animals, said its chief executive officer, Mr Bernard Harrison.

Among the animals in danger of extinction are proboscis monkeys, orang-utans, Malayan tigers, white rhinoceroses and Douc langurs (a species of monkeys) which the zoo has bred successfully.

Just a week ago, the Zoological Gardens, comprising the Open Zoo and the Night Safari, had its latest addition - a baby male Asian elephant.

Singapore's famous orang-utan Ah Meng holds her baby Hong Bao.

This brings the total number of births here this year to 71.

Animals are not known to breed well in captivity, and other zoos that can rival the Singapore zoo's track record include the San Diego Zoo and Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

Mr Harrison said the zoo's breeding programme is important as part of its conservation efforts.

'Conservation is the raison d'etre for all zoos in the world, and our breeding programme is one of the ways we do conservation here,' he said.

Animals bred successfully could be re-introduced into the wild later.

This is done to increase the numbers, as well as to ensure that healthy genes are not lost.

Last year, two pairs of cape buffaloes were re- introduced into South Africa's largest wildlife park, the Kruger National Park, whose buffalo herds were in danger of being wiped out because of disease.

Proboscis monkeys are born in captivity only in Singapore.

Wildlife officials hope these disease-free buffaloes, which were born here, would mate with those in the wild and produce stronger, disease-free calves.

Surplus animals from the births in Singapore are sometimes also swopped in animal-exchange programmes with other zoos.

For instance, 10 Malayan tigers are now on a long-term breeding loan to other zoos.

The success of the breeding programmes is not accidental, said Mr Harrison, who is also vice-president of the World Zoo and Aquarium Association.

This baby rhino is one of four southern white rhinoceroses born in the zoo.

'Breeding is a science. Animals breed better when they are in their ecological niches or when they have large spaces.'

Ensuring the survival of the new-born is another difficult part of the zoo's programme.

Some of them are also rejected by their parents.

But in the case of the latest birth of the baby elephant, the mother is busy nursing it. The mother had refused to nurse its first baby, born two years ago.