Lemur Exhibit, Baby Goats, Penguin Chicks, Monkeys Come To Philly Zoo

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Zoo has some new reasons to stop by for a visit, including a new lemur exhibit, baby goats, and red-tailed monkeys.

Lemur Island is a new space featuring a family of ring-tailed and mongoose lemurs.

The new walk-through experience will bring guests right next to these endangered species.

"Philadelphia Zoo has one of the most diverse collections of lemur species in North America," Andrew J. Baker, Curator of Primates and Small Mammals Michael Stern, said. "We love seeing the joy on guests’ faces as they enter the experience and come within feet of these lemur families. We are thankful to all the Zoo teams who worked together to bring this experience to our guests for 2023."

On April 24 and April 28, two Humboldt penguin chicks hatched to 7-year-old parents, male Schwimmer and female Geller.

Zoo officials said the chicks are getting bigger and stronger daily, and the first-time parents are taking great care of them.

Humboldt penguin chicks are completely dependent on their parents until they molt into their first set of waterproof feathers at around 3 months old.

Until then, the chicks are covered in soft, gray down feathers.

The chicks live in a burrow that is easily visible to visitors, and will start spending more time outside their burrow in July.

"Humboldt penguins are facing a number of threats in the wild, including loss of food due to commercial fishing," Curator of Birds Pete Bibeault said. "The work we do here at the Zoo participating in the Species Survival Program helps ensure this species continues. Parents Schwimmer and Geller were on an SSP breeding recommendation, and are considered to be the most genetically valued pair in our flock."

The zoo is now is home to 13 Humboldt penguins, including the new chicks.

More recently, the Zoo welcomed two Arapawa goat kids to 6-year-old mom Sawyer.

The doeling and buckling were both underweight at birth on May 1, and for the first 24 hours, were cared for by our veterinary and keeper teams.

The two have made a full recovery and are now thriving and growing in mom’s care.

Zoo staff have named the pair Georgina and Lucas, a nod to the Star Wars creator George Lucas since their due date was May 4.

Find them in the birthing yard at KidZooU, separate from the other goat exhibits.

The kids were conceived through laparoscopic artificial insemination.

Arapawa goats were selected to be bred onsite at KidZooU to help preserve the breed from going extinct; there are thought to be less than 500 of them left in the world.

The breed is classified as critically endangered by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.

Their births increase the number of these goats in the U.S. and more importantly, add genetic diversity to this U.S. population

Since their genetics are so valuable, once weaned from mom Sawyer, Georgina and Lucas will go to other facilities later this fall.

Lastly, the zoo is celebrating the arrival of two red-tailed monkeys to its growing family.

This species was last housed at the Zoo in 1928.

The pair, 10-year-old male Ahnmom and 5-year-old female Lulu, were brought to the zoo on an Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan breeding recommendation.

The two can be seen bouncing, playing and eating inside their habitat at Monkey Junction.

Red-tailed monkeys are classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, yet are still threatened by deforestation.

This species is native to Central Africa, including Kibale National Park in Uganda, where the Zoo has been supporting conservation work for more than 20 years.

"The Zoo knows that in order for wildlife conservation to succeed, the needs of people must also be addressed," Michael Stern, Andrew J. Baker Curator of Primates and Small Mammals, said. "This is why we support New Nature Foundation’s approach of empowering people to meet their needs in sustainable ways. In Uganda, the work includes fuel efficient stoves, cooking briquettes made from recycled waste and a comprehensive education campaign. Together with our partners around Kibale we are creating a new way forward, facilitating a conservation strategy where both people and wildlife not only survive but thrive."