A very happy Mother’s Day!
Mums at DZG?come in all shapes and sizes, from feathers to fur, scales to shells, but they all have one thing in common and that’s the bond they form with their young.
In some species that time is very short but a protective nature comes to the fore and they spend time encouraging their little ones to feed, often to interact within the family – and sometimes even to play.
Here’s a few of our favourite mums . . .
Lar gibbon, Meo and baby born January 16 as yet unamed until keepers determine the sex of the youngster.
Twelve-year-old Meo also has a three-year-old daughter, Penny, but still finds lots of time for family cuddles. Our family group also includes dad, Huggy. An endangered species, Lar gibbons originate from south-east Asia, including Thailand,Myanmar and China, where their habitat is threatened by hunting, deforestation and commercial plantations of palm oil.
Bornean orang utan Jazz, 23, and three-year-old daughter, Sprout.
This cute great ape was the first orang to be born at DZG? in 19 years and has proved a firm favourite with visitors since her birth. The only great ape to be found in Asia, the species is in decline due to the loss of their tropical rain forest habitat through commercial logging and agricultural clearance to grow cash crops. The trade in illegally-captured baby orangutans is a further major threat. 
Rothschild’s giraffe, Mia and one-year-old son, Kito – they’re pictured with ‘auntie’ Josie who has been a constant companion since the 6ftbaby arrived!
Dad is Kubwa, and the youngster’s name means precious in Swahili. Rothschild’s are the world’s rarest sub-species of giraffe, originating from Uganda and west central Kenya. Numbers have decreased due to hunting for meat, hides and tail-hair which is used to make bracelets,habitat loss due to over grazing, human expansion and desertification.Snow leopard Nanga and her mischievous 11-month-old son, Makalu.
The youngster is named after one of the world’s highest mountains within the Himalayan range, bordering Nepal and China, where the species originates.
Hunted for their highly prized fur, killed for their bones for use in traditional Oriental medicines and squeezed out of their remote habitat by the rapid growth in human population, snow leopards face an uncertain future in the wild.
Carpathian lynx Daisy and her cheeky 10-month-old triplets, Dick, Dom and Daphne dad’s Dave in case you’re worried we dropped a D!
The trio’s arrival was a first for DZG and the lively youngsters have attracted a firm fan base with enrichment antics in their enclosure.
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