Two cheetah cubs, not quite three months old, have taken their first hesitant steps in public, with mother Novi, at Bazel Zoo. Onysha and her brother Opuwo were born on July 18 and until now have lived behind closed doors.
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Breeding cheetahs is far from easy. Staff at Basel ZooExternal link move the males and females around various enclosures to let them get whiffs of each other. If a female expresses interest in a male, the staff pair them up right away – and hope that sparks fly.
The first cheetahs came to Basel Zoo in 1936. The first successful breeding didn’t occur, however, until 1993. Since then, 29 cubs have been born.
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Public names Zurich elephant ‘Ruwani’
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All three names have a connection with Sri Lanka, home of one of the calf’s grandmothers. Ruwani means “like a precious stone, highly valuable”. In a separate poll, almost two-thirds of swissinfo.ch readers went for Rishu. What do you think? Let us know.
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Berna and her sister Ursina were born in Bern’s bear park in December 2009 – to the surprise of the park authorities, who only became aware of their existence when they spotted extra movement on a webcam in their mother’s den. They soon became star attractions, but the park, aware that bears are usually rejected…
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Markus Schietsch clearly remembers his first encounter with a wild bull elephant. He was in the back of an open pickup truck when the elephant repeatedly mock charged the vehicle in the Kaeng Krachan national park in Thailand. The adrenalin-packed experience was courtesy of a study trip organised by the Zurich zoo, as the Zurich…
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A conservation biologist explains the role of predators in an ecosystem, and tells us why we should stop and smell the free-tailed bats.
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Zoo authorities say they were left with no option after the second cub was rejected by its mother and the father showed intent to hurt it as well. The male black grizzly “Misha” killed his offspring on April 2 by throwing it up in the air repeatedly during a sort of game. Members of the…
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When the issue was previously voted on in March, the House of Representatives opted for a ban on the keeping of dolphins in addition to the import ban. The chamber has now aligned itself with the more moderate Senate position. Veteran animal rights lawyer Antoine Goetschel welcomed the decision. “It’s a good starting point. In…
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Should an area in south-western Switzerland be a predator-free zone? A local initiative wants to eliminate protected species like wolves.
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