Placeholder Content Image

Nick "Honey Badger" Cummins welcomes "little badger cub"

<p>Former Bachelor and rugby star Nick Cummins AKA the “Honey Badger” has welcomed a baby with girlfriend Alexandra George.</p> <p>In a heart-warming post shared to Instagram, Cummins shared a cute photo of him kissing his partner as she cradled the newborn.</p> <p>“What an amazing life experience, so much love for my mob,” he wrote.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjXkl_2LSbD/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjXkl_2LSbD/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Honey Badger (@nickbadger)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Celebrities wished them well in the comments, with swimmer Shayna Jack writing “Congratulations to you both! Amazing news.”</p> <p>The couple are yet to make a public comment regarding the baby's name or gender.</p> <p>Earlier this year, Cummins shared an intimate Instagram post in which he announced that he and Ms George were expecting a “little badger cub”.</p> <p>The "Honey Badger" and girlfriend Alexandra have been public with their relationship since March 2021, after having secretly dated since June 2020. It has been rumoured they spent lockdown together on the NSW mid-north coast.</p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Australia Zoo welcomes two red panda cubs

<p dir="ltr">Australia Zoo is celebrating the arrival of two red panda cubs, the first to be born at the Queensland-based facility run by the Irwin family.</p> <p dir="ltr">Announcing their birth on social media, the zoo posted, “Our Australia Zoo family has gotten a little bigger - Introducing our 2 red panda cubs! These two adorable fluff balls are enjoying lots of snuggles from their mama. This is a first for us and a proud moment to be giving this critically endangered species a helping hand.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AustraliaZoo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AustraliaZoo</a> family has gotten a little bigger - Introducing our 2 red panda cubs❤️ These two adorable fluff balls are enjoying lots of snuggles from their mama. This is a first for us and a proud moment to be giving this critically endangered species a helping hand. <a href="https://t.co/sK1w9WKb8I">pic.twitter.com/sK1w9WKb8I</a></p> — Australia Zoo (@AustraliaZoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/AustraliaZoo/status/1481593303347138562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Red pandas are native to the high-altitude forests of Nepal, Burma, and China, and they usually give birth in early winter. They are considered endangered, largely as a result of habitat destruction and poaching.</p> <p dir="ltr">The zoo has also recently welcomed three cassowary chicks, and one of them, Fergo, has already become good friends with Bindi Irwin’s daughter, Grace. Irwin posted a photo on Instagram of the adorable pair last month, writing, “Two cute chickies! Meet Grace’s new best friend, Fergo, the cassowary chick. They absolutely love each other! We are so proud of our breeding program to protect this endangered species.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXrfhLVvt1c/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXrfhLVvt1c/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Bindi Irwin (@bindisueirwin)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Irwin also celebrated the arrival of the red panda cubs, posting several photos of them with their mum on Instagram, and writing, “Welcoming the two sweetest bundles of fluff to our family. We are incredibly proud to be part of a breeding program for this critically endangered species.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CYq1lQtBz_5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CYq1lQtBz_5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Bindi Irwin (@bindisueirwin)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Taronga’s five new lion cubs make their public debut

<p dir="ltr">Taronga Zoo’s<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://taronga.org.au/sydney-zoo/lion-cubs" target="_blank">new lion cubs</a><span> </span>have made their public debut and are now accepting visitors to their harbourside home in Mosman.</p> <p dir="ltr">The five cubs, three females, named Malika, Zuri, and Ayanna, and two males, named Khari and Luzuko, were born to experienced mum Maya and first-time dad Ato on August 12, which also happened to be dad’s fourth birthday.</p> <div class="embed"><iframe class="embedly-embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FcNMiveGs600%3Ffeature%3Doembed&amp;display_name=YouTube&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DcNMiveGs600&amp;image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FcNMiveGs600%2Fhqdefault.jpg&amp;key=5b465a7e134d4f09b4e6901220de11f0&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=youtube" width="450" height="253" scrolling="no" title="YouTube embed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div> <p dir="ltr">Once the cubs turned 12 weeks old, they were ready to be introduced to their new home, under the watchful eye of mum Maya, of course. It has been over 18 years since lion cubs were born at Taronga Zoo, and this litter marks the first time there has been an entire pride in the zoo’s African Savannah.</p> <p dir="ltr">The cubs’ names are all Swahili, chosen by zoo supporters because of the lion’s African roots. Malika means ‘like a queen’, Zuri ‘beautiful’, and Ayanna ‘beautiful flower’, while Khari means ‘like a king’ and Luzuko, chosen by Taronga’s carnivore keepers, means ‘glory’.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">We're brimming with pride to announce the public debut of five beautiful lion cubs! 🐾🦁 <br /><br />The cubs who are now 12-weeks-old have taken their first steps into their new home under the watchful 👁️ of mum Maya!<br /><br />To find out more or to book tickets check out <a href="https://t.co/sC6cg9rIna">https://t.co/sC6cg9rIna</a> <a href="https://t.co/eKqEcH0Lh7">pic.twitter.com/eKqEcH0Lh7</a></p> — Taronga Zoo (@tarongazoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/tarongazoo/status/1456079093787729920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Mum and the cubs will have access to their exhibit from 10 am to 2 pm each day, and dad will be in the exhibit from 2 pm onwards. The zoo explains that just like any newborns, the cubs have “bursts of activity followed by napping and cuddling”, so their limited access to the exhibit reflects this; the family needs private time for very important napping and bonding time!</p> <p dir="ltr">This is the third litter for Maya, who was moved to Taronga from the zoo’s sister zoo in Dubbo last year, where she had lived since moving from a South African zoo in 2014.</p> <p dir="ltr">Carnivore unit supervisor Louise Ginman said that the cubs are growing at a rapid rate, currently weighing between 11 and 13kg each, and they’re already developing their own unique personalities. “Our guests are going to be in for a real treat every time they come to visit and see the cubs - with so many milestones on the horizon, no two visits will be the same,” Ms Ginman said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Rick Stevens/Taronga Zoo, Cameron Spencer/Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

New baby lion cubs! And you can watch them live

<p>For the first time in 18 years, Taronga Zoo has five new African lion cubs and you can watch them live on the zoo’s cub cam for a small charge.</p> <p>Sydney's Taronga Zoo hasn't been humming with crowds over the past three months, given it's been closed due to Sydney’s ongoing lockdown.</p> <p>But there’s a lot more activity and there’ll be a few roars from the lion enclosure from now on.</p> <p>It was about a month ago on August 12 when the zoo first welcomed the five African lion cubs — three females and two males — a quintet of cuteness.</p> <p>These little balls of fluff were born to experienced mum, Maya, and first-time dad, Ato, and they've grown from weighing around 1.5 kilograms at birth to hitting the scales at between five and six kilograms now.</p> <p><strong><img style="width: 0px; height:0px;" src="/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b2adcb784c574162ac621ac73145584a" /><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844172/african-lion-2-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b2adcb784c574162ac621ac73145584a" /></strong></p> <p><strong>Watch the cubs grow on the zoo’s 24/7 live-stream</strong></p> <p>As they've been growing, Taronga's staff have been keeping an eye on them via the zoo's CCTV cameras. And, if that sounds like a great way to spend your own day, you can now join them via a new 24/7 live-stream.</p> <p>Taronga already lets you fill your time staring at capybaras, seals, meerkats, otters, Sumatran tigers, lions and elephants, all without leaving your home, thanks to <a rel="noopener" href="https://concreteplayground.com/brisbane/travel-leisure/leisure/taronga-tv-returns" target="_blank">its online TV channel</a>.</p> <p>All those animals are all well and good. They're great, and they're very easy to spend too much time staring at, actually. But, because we all grew up watching <em>The Lion King</em>, many of us have an extra fondness for lion cubs.</p> <p><strong>Small donation is required for the live-stream</strong></p> <p>Previously, the zoo's live-stream TV channel was free but now you'll need to make a tax-deductible donation of $7 to access the all-day camera footage – but you can donate more if you like.</p> <p>Your payment will help support Taronga, its ongoing research and conservation programs, and its work to save African lions.</p> <p>But the good thing is, there's your background viewing sorted. Popping the stream on in the background while you work from home can be a good idea. Sometimes, the animals you’re trying to watch aren't in view. And be warned – African lion cubs do like to sleep between 12 and 20 hours per day.</p> <p>Taronga Zoo Sydney and Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo started their online streams in 2020, and they're back now for obvious reasons. Taronga is also releasing regular videos across its Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels, and they load keeper talks and other clips online regularly.</p> <p><em>To subscribe to Taronga Zoo's cub cam, head to <a rel="noopener" href="https://taronga.org.au/sydney-zoo/lion-cub-cam" target="_blank">the zoo's website</a>. To check out <a rel="noopener" href="https://taronga.org.au/taronga-tv" target="_blank">Taronga TV</a>, head to <a rel="noopener" href="https://taronga.org.au/taronga-tv" target="_blank">the channel's website</a> — or keep an eye on its videos on its <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.facebook.com/tarongazoo/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/tarongazoo/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TarongaSydney/" target="_blank">YouTube</a><br />pages.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Taronga TV</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

South Australian zoo tragedy after lioness loses five cubs

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>South Australia’s Monarto Safari Park staff are currently in mourning after the loss of five lion cubs to lioness Nia.</p> <p>The open range zoo is the largest safari park outside Africa and released a statement on Facebook sharing the heartbreaking news.</p> <p>“Friends, it's with great sadness that we let you know about the loss of five lion cubs who were stillborn to lioness Nia yesterday,” the safari park wrote. “Nia, the second pregnant African Lion in our pride, went into labour on Tuesday morning. Sadly, she gave birth to two stillborn cubs early yesterday morning. “Keepers kept an eye on Nia via a live cam in her den and could see that, after these first two cubs, her labour was not progressing fast enough. Nia's welfare during this time was our utmost priority so the decision was made to intervene around midday on Wednesday to ensure she didn't develop an infection or experience complications associated with prolonged labour.</p> <div id="fb-root"></div> <div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/MonartoSafari/photos/a.192986660760871/2908160175910159/?type=3&amp;theater" data-width="auto"> <blockquote class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"> <p>Friends, it's with great sadness that we let you know about the loss of five lion cubs who were stillborn to lioness Nia...</p> Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MonartoSafari/">Monarto Safari Park</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MonartoSafari/photos/a.192986660760871/2908160175910159/?type=3">Wednesday, March 4, 2020</a></blockquote> </div> <p>“The vet team carried out a caesarian procedure but, despite the team's best efforts, the three cubs delivered by caesarian were unable to be revived. “Unfortunately, there was nothing more that could be done to save these cubs despite Nia showing all the instincts of being an excellent mum.</p> <p>The park’s director, Peter Clark, said that staff were “deeply saddened”. “We're all deeply saddened these cubs didn’t make it. Every birth at Zoos SA is a step towards saving species from extinction and these cubs were no exception. “Keepers and the vet team will monitor Nia to make sure she recovers comfortably.”</p> <p>Monarto just welcomed four healthy cubs born to another lioness Husani in February.</p> <p>The park often sees the “circle of life play out”.</p> <p>"Husani, one of our other lionesses, only gave birth to four healthy lion cubs just a few weeks ago," he said.</p> <p>"At two-and-a-half weeks old, these cubs have their eyes open and are moving around quickly as well as sleeping lots too. It will still be another week or so until they can see properly.</p> <p>"During this time the cubs stay close to Mum and she only leaves for short periods to feed and be with her sisters."</p> <div id="fb-root"></div> <div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=191037925551658"> <blockquote class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MonartoSafari/videos/191037925551658/">Two-week-old cuties!</a> <p>African Lion Husani's gorgeous cubs are almost two weeks old and growing fast! 🦁As you can see here, they're very good at yawning and rolling around and showing off their pink little bellies. 😍 And Husani is continuing to be an excellent parent, attending to her cubs' every need and making sure they're always clean, warm and fed. Keep your eyes peeled for more cub cuteness on our Facebook page soon!</p> Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MonartoSafari/">Monarto Safari Park</a> on Thursday, February 27, 2020</blockquote> </div> <p>The tragedy surrounding the lion cubs comes almost a year after the zoo was forced to euthanise a two-day-old zebra foal as it sustained an injury that was “drastically affecting its quality of life”.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

The adorable reason why these cub siblings are holding hands

<p>A photographer has captured the incredible moment two bear cubs held paws as they waited for their mother to catch them food in Alaska.</p> <p>Lewis Kemper, 62, from California, managed to captured the picture of the pair of cubs in Lake Clark National Park.</p> <p>“The two bears held hands for around 20 seconds, hoping their mother would bring them some dinner but unfortunately, she came back fishless,” he said.</p> <p>You can see the smaller cub clinging to the bigger sibling's back. The mother bear was hunting for salmon, but didn’t manage to catch anything.</p> <p>Kemper said: “Although bears love their fish, most of them are omnivores and mainly eat plants and of course, a lot of grass.”</p> <p>He said bears are great animals to photography, noting, “'Bears are usually very calm.”</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see more of Kemper’s photos of the bear family. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/07/test-to-find-out-how-smart-your-dog-is/"><em>Take this test to find out how smart your dog is</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/07/why-do-dogs-tilt-their-head/"><em>Why do dogs tilt their head?</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/07/9-tips-for-calming-your-cat/"><em>9 tips for calming your cat</em></a></strong></span></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Giant panda gives birth to surprise twins

<p>Vienna’s famous Schoenbrunn Zoo has welcomed two gorgeous new arrivals to the world as a giant panda on loan from China has given birth to naturally conceived twins.</p> <p>The two panda cubs, pink, hairless and measuring in at 15 centimetres each, arrived on August 7 and came as quite a surprise to the zookeepers, who didn’t expect a second.</p> <p>The panda’s mother, Yang Yang, gave birth inside a dark nesting box observed via an infra-red camera, so it was initially believed she only gave birth to one.</p> <p>In fact a week had passed before keepers noticed the second!</p> <p>Zoologist Eveline Dungl said, “The cubs have little round bellies and panda mummy Yang Yang is very relaxed. You rarely see them because Yang Yang constantly warms them between her paws ... What you can hear very clearly are their suckling and grunting noises when she feeds or licks them.”</p> <p>In line with Chinese tradition, Yang Yang’s cubs will not be named until 100 days due to the low survival rate of newborns, but the siblings appear to be doing well.</p> <p>As we can see in the video above Yang Yang seems absolutely smitten with her new cubs.</p> <p>Don’t you just love pandas? What’s your favourite animal?</p> <p>Let us know in the comments.</p> <p><em>Video credit: YouTube / Associated Press </em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/07/can-you-see-the-15-pandas-in-this-picture/" target="_blank"><strong>Can you see the 15 pandas in this picture?</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/06/giant-panda-cub-born-in-belgian-zoo/"><strong>Giant panda cub born in Belgian zoo</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/05/pandas-make-it-impossible-to-get-things-done/"><strong>Mischievous pandas make it impossible to get anything done</strong></a></em></span></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Giant panda cub born in Belgian zoo

<p>A baby giant panda has been born in a Belgian zoo, a rare event for an endangered species that numbers fewer than 2000 worldwide.</p> <p>The healthy male cub was born in the early hours of Thursday (Thursday night NZ Time) at the Paira Daiza wildlife park to six-year-old Hao Hao and her mate Xing Hui.</p> <p>The pink, blind, hairless cub weighed just 171 grams. Hao Hao's "probable" pregnancy was announced just two weeks ago, accompanied by caution about detecting the tiny fetus.</p> <p>The cub, to be given a name later, emerged as "a little pink sausage" and gave a loud cry before being scooped up in Hao Hao's mouth, the park's zoological director Tim Bouts said.</p> <p>Mother and baby were now doing well, he said, "but we are still in a risky period".</p> <p>The zoo, which has hosted the pair since 2014 under an arrangement with the Chinese authorities, co-operated with experts from the animals' native China to treat the mother by artificial insemination.</p> <p>World nature organisation WWF says a survey in 2014 found only 1864 giant pandas living in the wild, almost double the numbers in the late 1970s and 17 per cent up in a decade.</p> <p>As part of efforts to save the species, which has been hit hard by human encroachment on the highlands where they survive almost entirely on a diet of bamboo, more than 300 pandas now live in zoos, mostly in China.</p> <p>They notoriously struggle to reproduce in captivity, however though artificial breeding techniques and better knowledge of their needs has seen an increase in births in recent years.</p> <p>Pairi Daiza said Belgium had become the third country in Europe to see the successful reproduction of pandas after Austria and Spain. The last successful birth in Europe was at Madrid three years ago.</p> <p>Watch the video above to see Hao Hao caring for her newborn. Don’t worry, she’s not in that tiny enclosure all the time. Zoologists were on hand to help her in case there were any complications.</p> <p>Did you know that panda cubs looked like that when they are first born? Let us know in the comments below. </p> <p><em>First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Stuff.co.nz</strong></span></a></em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/05/pandas-make-it-impossible-to-get-things-done/%20">Mischievous pandas make it impossible to get anything done</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/02/panda-steals-apple-video/%20">Sneaky panda steals buddy’s apple</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/02/panda-bear-helps-her-cub-climb-down-tree/%20">Bei Bei the baby panda rescued by mum</a><br /></strong></em></span></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

An adorable bear cub beckoning for a fight

<p>Small animals doing cute, human-like things is guilty pleasure for most. Even though that animal may grow up to be imposing and potentially very, very dangerous, it’s all well and good when their paws are akin to a large household dog.</p> <p>They say that they learn the best through imitation but we haven’t seen too many full grown bears act like this. Watch this small bear cub stand on its hind legs and wobble to the ground. Before so however, he seems to beckon the camera holder toward him as if ready for a fight. He looks a little scary until he falls back to the ground with the grace of a drunk teenager.</p> <p>Unbelievably cute. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2015/12/miner-saves-sea-turtles-with-selfless-act/">Hero miner saves sea turtles with selfless act</a></em></strong></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2015/12/image-personality-test/">What do you see when you look at this image?</a></em></strong></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2015/12/christmas-gesture-brings-happiness-to-foster-child/">Kind Christmas gesture brings happiness to foster child</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/news/news/2015/12/miner-saves-sea-turtles-with-selfless-act/"> </a></em></strong></span></p>

News

Our Partners