Baby honey badger can be seen at Devon zoo for first time

Archie Farmer & Caroline Robinson

BBC News, South West

Exmoor Zoo A honey badger, looking directly at the camera. It has black round eyes and a black nose. The fur on its face and body is black. The fur on its head and back is white. It has whiskers. There is straw behind it. Exmoor Zoo

The badger was born in January but had to be kept a secret until now

Visitors to a zoo are being introduced to its baby honey badger for the first time.

Exmoor Zoo’s five-month-old female badger is believed to be only the second of her species to be born in captivity in the UK.

Zookeepers said that, until now, they had kept her birth secret while they left the mother and baby in peace.

Zoo director Danny Reynolds said: “Often parents, if they feel pressured by potential threats, may kill their offspring. So, we’ve very much taken a back seat and minimised our keeper interactions with mum in their enclosure.”

Staff said the best times for members of the public to see the badgers were just after 10:00 and 15:00.

Exmoor Zoo The baby honey badger, seen from above, in straw. It has a black face and its white fur reaches a peak at its forehead. Exmoor Zoo

The five-month-old badger has not yet been named

The baby badger was born on 16 January, zookeepers said. They have tried feeding her different types of meat, as honey badgers are scavengers.

She has been introduced to mice, quail, chicken, steak and locusts – and some of her meals were covered in a honey drizzle.

Staff have named the mother Mrs Stoffel but the baby is yet to be given a name.

Exmoor Zoo’s senior carnivore keeper, Tina Rowtcliff, said: “We’d really love to give her a name, but we think letting the public come up with a name would be amazing.”

She said the zoo would be running a naming competition on social media.

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Hamas says it delivered 'positive response' on Gaza ceasefire plan

Hamas says it delivered ‘positive response’ on Gaza ceasefire plan

Rushdi Abualouf Gaza correspondent Reuters A Palestinian man looks at buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in al-Shati refugee camp, northern Gaza Hamas says it has delivered a “positive response” to mediators on the latest proposal for a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal put forward by the US. The Palestinian armed group added in

Man found dead on side of Ohio road; suspect arrested in another county

Man found dead on side of Ohio road; suspect arrested in another county

A suspect has been arrested after a man was found dead on the side of the road in Ohio Thursday morning, according to our news partners at WBNS. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office got a 911 call around 9:40 a.m. regarding a body in a

US debt is now $37trn – should we be worried?

US debt is now $37trn – should we be worried?

Simon Jack BBC business editor Getty Images As Donald Trump cheered the passage of his self-styled, and officially named, Big Beautiful Budget Bill through Congress this week, long-sown seeds of doubt about the scale and sustainability of US borrowing from the rest of the world sprouted anew. Trump’s tax-cutting budget bill is expected to add

Smoke is seen from outskirts of Kyiv after a Russian drone and missile strike in Ukraine on July 4. - Alina Smutko/Reuters

China tells EU it can’t accept Russia losing its war against Ukraine, official says

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the European Union’s top diplomat that Beijing can’t accept Russia losing its war against Ukraine as this could allow the United States to turn its full attention to China, an official briefed on the talks said, contradicting Beijing’s public position of neutrality in the conflict. The admission came during

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x