City zoo celebrates new
arrivals
Baby Vicuna and mother
Vicunas were almost hunted to extinction in the 1970s
Belfast Zoo is celebrating two new arrivals following the births of
baby vicunas.
Vicunas, which are originally from the Andes in South America, were
almost hunted to extinction in the late 1970s for their very
valuable fleece.
However, with conservation efforts and careful management the
animals are now reasonably safe, but are still classed as an
endangered species.
Keepers at the zoo have not yet been able to get close enough to
the animals to find out what sex they are, so the two baby vicunas
are still without names.
Both babies, which stand just below one metre tall, were born to
different mothers in the past few days.
Emma, the mother of the first baby, was born in Mulhouse Zoo in
France and is now 11-years-old, while Colonia, the mother of the
second vicuna, was born in Germany in 1994.
Douglas, the father of both babies, was born in Belfast Zoo in
1993.
Manager Mark Challis said the hilly terrain of Belfast Zoo provided
the perfect environment for the animals.
"We have a very good enclosure for the vicuna, as they are
originally from the Andes," he said.
"With the zoo being on Cave Hill they have a quite steep enclosure
which resembles their natural habitat."
(source: BBC
News)
cute right? 
