Over in West Palm Beach, just south of the city off I–95 you will find the Palm Beach Zoo. A family–friendly place filled with birds, jaguars, tigers, koala, lemurs, monkeys, sloths and so much more. The zoo has new animals to view this season and you will surely want to check them out.
The Siamang family is back with new babies on Siamang Island and just in time for the summer months. Swing into Palm Beach Zoo to see them in frolicking around their island. Siamang mom Raya welcomed a new baby in December 2020. Raya is a smart, calm and capable mom, and their family bond is strong. The recent baby girl, who was officially named “Lou Lou” through a generous donation by Dale Coudert and the Coudert Institute, is thriving out on Siamang Island.
What has short greyish fur, a “boopable” nose and the cutest ears you have ever seen? The answer is the latest addition to Palm Beach Zoo’s animal family. Sydney, aptly named for the largest city in Australia, is a two–year–old Queensland koala who has made his way to his new home in West Palm Beach! Sydney is a special new addition, as he is the nephew of both former Palm Beach Zoo koala residents, Oz and Katherine. Sydney was born at Zoo Tampa in 2018 to parents, Heathcliff (Oz’s brother) and Ceduna (Katherine’s sister). Like all koalas, he spent more than a year with his mom learning all the necessary koala skills, and then it was time to go out on his own. At the same time, Palm Beach Zoo had experienced the loss of the beloved Oz and Katherine, and was ready to welcome a new koala. Koalas are important to Palm Beach Zoo as they help connect visitors with their wild cousins.“Connecting people to wildlife locally and around the world is the main mission of zoos. We get to inspire people to care for and about the wild, so it will thrive for future generations,” said Palm Beach Zoo President and CEO Margo McKnight. “Having an incredibly cute koala to help share that message only helps our cause!”
The Malayan tiger cub trio celebrated their first birthday on May 12, 2021. Officially meet Triton, Cahaya, and Mawarthe newest Zoo babies to be born at Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society. A trio of rare and endangered Malayan tiger cubs were born at Palm Beach Zoo on May 12, 2020. Malayan tiger cubs traditionally receive their official name around their first birthday. Triton, the male cub’s name, is nod to his regal lineage, while the two female cubs were given Malay names; Cahaya meaning “light” and Mawar (pronounced “Mah–wah”) meaning “rose” in the language of Malaysia. These names are important as they help form the bond between the care team and the animals. Six longtime Palm Beach Zoo and conservation champions for wildlife demonstrated their support through generous donations to name the new babies. Lillian and Luis Fernandez, Candace Hamm and Carole and John Moran named the tiger cubs.“The work and mission of Palm Beach Zoo is strongly rooted in wildlife conservation. The funds we raise not only provides world class animal care but secures funds to ensure the population of wild tigers thrive as well,” said Palm Beach Zoo Board Vice Chairman, Luis Fernandez. Currently, there are fewer than 350 Malayan tigers in the world, making them critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. These unique naming opportunities help Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society with its efforts to aid species threatened with extinction.
Head over to the Palm Beach Zoo and meet the newest members of their zoo family today.
