January 16, 2020 – In the last decade, the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo has celebrated many new arrivals, from tree kangaroos to lemurs to gibbons. After nearly 10 years, we are excited to announce the births of Asian small-clawed otter pups!
This holiday season was a joyous one for our staff and keepers. Just before Thanksgiving, zookeepers reported hearing tiny squeaks coming from Duncan and Chitra’s den. The new parents worked diligently for weeks to outfit their den with blankets, pine straw and sticks, making it impossible to peek inside. For nearly a month, the zookeepers waited patiently as Duncan and Chitra tucked their pups safely away and took turns coming out to eat and swim.
On December 20, we caught our first glimpse of a pup on a camera trap. Within a couple of days, zookeepers witnessed the parents carrying the pups out of the den! To ensure all the pups were healthy and reaching expected milestones, zookeepers and staff recently weighed and assessed each one.
Since Chitra and Duncan are new, young parents, we ask guests to keep the area around their home quiet as they care for their five little ones. We are eager to see what 2020 has in store for the SF Teaching Zoo and the animals that call the zoo home. We welcome you to visit us every day from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.