My buddy Tom M. suggested that we go by the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida.  You may remember this post I wrote about it back in 2013.  I haven’t been since then and haven’t kept up with what’s going on there.  So I was surprised to spot this pair way in the back when we visited the Orangutans:

Baby Orangutan and Mom are both a little sleepy

Baby GoJo is less than a month old – born on Dec. 21, 2015 to Josie, a 30-year-old Bornean Orangutan.  You can read more about them including info on the zoo’s Orangutan conservation efforts at their website:    www.lowryparkzoo.org/about/newsroom/2015/12/29/santa-baby… (sorry – no longer available)

Next we wandered over to see the Chimpanzees and immediately saw another very cute young one scampering about:

Baby Chimp and foster Mom

This one’s name is Keeva, and she was born on March 12, 2015 in a Maryland zoo. When her birth mother was unable to care for her, they brought her to Tampa where she’s been  adopted by Abby.  Abby has a lot of experience successfully fostering orphan chimps and was specifically picked to care for Keeva.  It was wonderful to see the youngster thriving with her foster Mom.  You can read more of this story at the Maryland zoo site, which also talks about their chimp conservation efforts:  www.marylandzoo.org/2015/05/keeva/(sorry – no longer available)

After seeing these two small ones, I started looking for others.  Next, I spotted a baby white Rhino.  Ahati was born at the zoo on May 21, 2015 to Alaka.
www.lowryparkzoo.org/animals/southern-white-rhinoceros

Baby Rhino and Mom

And there are two young elephants.  Mpumi was born on Dec 23, 2012 and was there the last time I visited.  Mavi was born on July 29, 2013 – I think that’s who this is.

Baby Elephant and Mom

We also saw a Zebra foal (Penda, born November23, 2015) and her Mom, although my long distance photo through two fences isn’t very good.  When I got home, I did the research I should have done before I went and found out there are other babies there that we didn’t spot.  Check out the Lowry Park Zoo’s animals page for current info.

If you like zoos and babies (who doesn’t like babies?) – now is a great time to visit the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida.  While I sometimes have mixed feeling about zoos, this one seems very deserving of our support.  The animals appear well cared for and they’re doing important work in conservation of endangered animals such at the ones pictured in this post.  For a limited time, you can pay for a one day pass and use it during the rest of the year.  See here for details. (sorry – no longer available)

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Now – go make some photos!

©2016, Ed Rosack. All rights reserved.