John Ball Zoo is home to some new young’uns — and boy, are they cute. From the snowy slopes of Central Asia to the rivers of West Africa, two of the zoo’s newest arrivals are melting hearts and marking major conservation milestones in Grand Rapids.
First up, meet Juniper, a snow leopard cub born July 28 to parents Yuki and Mylo. After spending her early weeks behind the scenes, Juniper is now exploring the outdoor portion of her habitat and can be seen by guests for the first time.
Teams began introducing Juniper to the space Tuesday afternoon, allowing her and her mom to acclimate slowly to the new sights, sounds and guests. Her debut marks an important milestone for the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan and the zoo’s partnership with the Snow Leopard Trust.
Snow leopards are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with an estimated 600 in accredited zoos worldwide and roughly 250 in the United States.
Over in the pygmy hippo pavilion, another youngster is making a splash. Hugo, a pygmy hippo calf born September 3 to first-time parents Penelope and Jahari, made his public debut to John Ball Zoo members October 27.
Hugo arrived weighing just 11 pounds and is the first pygmy hippo ever born at John Ball Zoo. In recent weeks, he has spent time behind the scenes bonding with his mom and learning essential hippo skills, like how to swim and hold his breath underwater.
Animal care teams have made careful adjustments, including specialized platforms, to help Hugo safely navigate the water in their habitat. With fewer than 3,000 pygmy hippos remaining in the wild, his birth represents a significant conservation milestone. He was born through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative population management and conservation program for selected species within AZA-accredited institutions.
Hugo and Penelope are in their habitat daily from 10:30 a.m. until close, though their time in front of guests may vary as they continue to adjust to their new surroundings.
With Juniper’s snowy debut and Hugo’s splashy first swims, John Ball Zoo’s “baby club” is thriving — and so is the zoo’s mission to inspire the community to be actively engaged in the conservation of wildlife and wild places.
