The self-styled world’s oldest zoo in Vienna has celebrated its 20th anniversary with the addition of numerous babies from a variety of species – the latest being these adorable newborn squirrel monkeys.
The footage shows a number of babies from a variety of different species cuddling with their mothers and getting to know their surroundings, including two new baby squirrel monkeys (Saimiri).
Newsflash obtained a statement from the Vienna Zoo on Thursday, 24th November, saying: “In the 270th anniversary year, the zoo was able to look forward to numerous special offspring.
“In addition to the arctic wolves, the capybaras and the zebras, the king and rockhopper penguins and the South American sea lions also provided for offspring. Even the extremely rare Dama gazelle, which is threatened with extinction, had two young in 2022.”
Zoo director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck said: “Two more squirrel monkeys were born in the last few weeks – so they are our latest offspring. Our breeding highlights of the year are certainly the young orangutans, giraffes and now, once again, the koalas.”
He added: “Conservation breeding is a central task of modern, scientifically managed zoos in order to preserve endangered animal species as a reserve population. We are therefore very happy about these successes – many of them as part of a European conservation breeding programme.”
The statement added: “This Europe-wide cooperation between zoos to safeguard the animal population is an important, sustainable measure in terms of species protection.”
Hering-Hagenbeck said: “In this way, back-up populations can be built up so that species whose habitats are being destroyed in nature do not disappear irretrievably from our planet.”
The zoo said: “In addition to annual tickets, vouchers for guided tours and children’s books, a young animal calendar is also available in the Schoenbrunn Zoo’s online shop – ideal Christmas gifts for big and small animal lovers.”
Tiergarten Schoenbrunn – the Vienna Zoo in the gardens of Schoenbrunn Palace – was founded by the Habsburg dynasty in Vienna’s 13th district of Hietzing in 1752 and is considered to be the world’s oldest zoo that is still in operation.
