Zoos In Germany Had A Baby Boom In 2013

Many of the zoo babies are members of endangered or vulnerable species.

The tiny polar bear twins that were born on December 11 may take the cake for cutest zoo baby born in Germany this year, but we will let you decide. Here is a list of the top contenders from zoos across Germany. ALL of these species are vulnerable or endangered, but breeding programs can help to build up the population.

10. Moyo and Pina Nessie, African Bush Elephants

zoo-wuppertal.net / Via zoo-wuppertal.net

Little Moyo (pictured above) delighted visitors at Zoo Wuppertal when he was born in May this year. He was joined by Pina Nessie (pictured below) just three months later. Four elephant calves have been born in Wuppertal in the past two years, so it is definitely THE place to be for elephant-lovers (AKA Everyone) in Germany!

zoo-wuppertal.de

9. This Tiny Slow Loris

augsburger-allgemeine.de

Have you ever heard of this primate? If not, you are clearly missing out. This tiny little thing was born in Augsburg Zoo in the spring, to the delight of the zoo staff, who have been trying to establish a breeding program for 10 years. This is the first slow loris ever to be born in Germany.

8. These Red Panda Twins

br.de

These two adorable balls of fur were born in Nuremberg in July. They had a combined weight of 1.5 kilos when this photo was taken in December. Zookeepers hope this pair's genes are far removed from their escape-artist friend in DC, Rusty!

7. Shiva the Persian Leopard Cub

zooborns.com

Little Shiva was born in Berlin on July 1st, and made her public debut in September. The Persian leopard is ultra rare - there are only around 100 or so in captivity worldwide. This little lady seems to have a bit of an attitude…

zooborns.com / Via Photo: Zoo Berlin

…which only makes us love her more.

6. Toki the Hyena Cub

zooborns.com / Via Photo: Zoo Berlin

Does anyone else associate hyenas with the bad guys in the Lion King? We did, too, until we saw this picture. This. Changes. Everything.

Zoo Berlin was apparently the place to be this year for zoo-baby enthusiasts!

5. SIX Baby Arctic Foxes

zooborns.com / Via Photo Credit: Tierpark Hellabrunn

SIX. These kits were born in April, but parents Ronja and Yaqui kept them from public view for over six weeks. These are the first kits to be born at the Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich, which is 102 years old. In conclusion, if you visit Munich, go to the zoo so you can finally learn the answer to the immortal question…

s.quickmeme.com / Via tierpark-hellabrunn.de

4. Kibibi the Black Rhino

If this doesn't melt your heart, then we don't know what will. Not only are Rhinos ten thousand times cuter than we thought, this one is TAKING HIS FIRST BATH! Baby Kibibi is the fourth child of black rhino couple, Nane and Usoni. He was a whopping 66 pounds when he was born in Krefeld Zoo in July.

3. Kasai und Yaro the Bonobos

bz-berlin.de

These bonobos were born early this year in Leipzig Zoo. They have amazing smiles and are, simply put, the cutest apes of the year.

bilder.bild.de

Seriously.

2. Sharjaa the Giraffe

report-k.de

This saucy little girl was born in late November. She is the 46th (!) giraffe to be born in the Cologne Zoo. She certainly has a personality, much like Makalo, who was born in Cologne earlier this year:

report-k.de

1. Polar Bear Twins

tierpark-hellabrunn.de

Mother Giovanna will be nursing this pair for the next few months, but the first week is the most dangerous. The twins were born on December 11, 2013, and weighed barely a quarter of a pound each. They might look like naked mole rats now, but in a few months, we could have this level of adorableness on our hands:

bearlife.org

Prepare yourself.

In conclusion...

s.quickmeme.com

Visit Germany’s awesome zoos and be amazed by these adorable and diverse babies!

Written By Lauren Rogers