Many Endangered Species Born At the Smithsonian National Zoo

Officials at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute welcomed  31 new animal babies born in the past several weeks, many of which are endangered species.

These newborns at The National Zoo will help save a few of the endangered species from becoming extinct.  According to the Guardian, the arrival of these endangered species is a sure sign of success of the conservation efforts.  The Smithsonian Institution's reproductive science program for animals has successfully battled the extinction of a few of the endangered species.

The new residents born at the zoo include a short-eared elephant shrew, a fishing cat, a leaf-tailed gecko, three loggerhead shrikes, a black-footed ferret, a rare scimitar-horned oryx and two red pandas.

Born on May 8 at the Zoo's Small Mammal House is the short-eared elephant shrew,  listed as the smallest of the 17 living species of elephant shrew. It weighed less than one-third of an ounce at birth. 

Another endangered species, the fishing cat named Hunter, was born at the Asia Trail on April 15.  Due to habitat loss and hunting for food and fur, the fishing cats have been listed as endangered.  In India and Southeast Asia, their population is dropping. 

A nocturnal species, called the leaf-tailed gecko, was born on June 22.  This large gecko from Madagascar is threatened by habitat loss due to logging, agriculture, cattle grazing and collection for pet trade.

The songbirds, loggerhead shrike chicks, born mid-May, are also called butcher birds and they are known to hunt for small animals by piercing them against thorns or other sharp things like barbed wire. In the past decades their numbers dropped drastically and currently there are just 100 wild loggerheads shrikes surviving in Virginia. They are listed as threatened or endangered in 20 states and have disappeared from New England.

Nearly 24 black-footed ferret kits were born and 10 more ferret mothers may give birth in the coming weeks.  On May 15,  a rare scimitar-horned oryx was born and till date164 scimitar-horned oryx calves have been born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Two red panda cubs were born on May 27; the species is listed as vulnerable because of habitat loss.

"The National Zoo and the Conservation Biology Institute maintain a collection of 1,800 living animals in 300 species. They also engage in reproductive research on many species that are in danger of becoming extinct. As a result of their efforts, many new babies (31 babies in fact) were born that are members of endangered species in the past month at the National Zoo," reports The Guardian.