The Cutest Zoo Babies of 2015

Charlotte, a prehensile-tailed porcupine, was born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo on Oct. 5. Charlotte was bottle-fed after her keepers noticed she was losing weight. She's now being slowly reintroduced to her parents.

A black and white colobus monkey was born to mom Sophia at the ZSL London Zoo just in time for Christmas. The baby will join the zoo's troop of 15 monkeys.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is hand-raising a polar bear cub who was born to mom Aurora on Nov. 6. The baby girl is getting 24-hour care, and the staff says she's growing rapidly.

A critically endangered Sumatran tiger cub was born Nov. 14 at Zoo Miami. The zoo staff has been taking extra precautions to help first-time mom Leeloo bond with her baby boy.

A trio of cheetah cubs born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, part of the National Zoo, poses for a picture at six weeks old on Nov. 30.

Chilean flamingoes Ringo (pictured here) and Mambo hatched at the U.K.'s Cotswold Wildlife Park in November. The fluffy chicks are being hand-reared, and recently joined their new colony at the zoo.

A Francois’ Langur monkey, which is among the rarest monkeys in the world, was spotted in his mom's arms at the Taronga Zoo in Australia on Nov. 7. The primates are bright orange when they're young to help the adults identify them.

A male and female pair of endangered red panda cubs was born at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, New York, over the summer.

A male giraffe calf was born to mom Roni and dad Growie on Aug. 31 at the Singapore Zoo. He's the first giraffe to be born at the zoo in nearly 30 years.

An endangered, fluffy black-footed penguin chick hatched on Aug. 31 at the Audubon Nature Center in New Orleans, the facility announced in November. The chick was nicknamed Elmer after the staff repaired a broken piece of his shell during incubation.

A white-handed Gibbon born at the Indianapolis Zoo is the first offspring for parents Koko and Elliot on Oct.23.

Now 12 and 15 months old respectively, these koala joeys at Australia's Taronga Zoo recently left their moms — and quickly became "treemates." Bai’yali and Holly like to snack and snooze together, and delight visitors when they rub noses.

Two critically endangered Amur tiger cubs were born to 4-year-old Minvera in early October at the U.K.'s Woburn Safari Park. Here, one of the babies cuddles with their protective mom.

A new baby Grevy's zebra is off and running at Zoo Miami. The male foal was born to a first-time mom on Oct. 18.

A female southern white rhino calf named Utamu was born Oct. 13 to mom Kacy at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Here, the brave and curious calf goes nose-to-nose with another adult female rhino in her exhibit.

Mom Er Shun gave birth to Canada's first panda cubs on Oct. 13 at the Toronto Zoo. The animal care team is cautiously optimistic about the cubs' outlook and has been using a twin-swapping technique, where the babies each spend some time with their mom and some in the nursery.

After three months, red pandas Ralph and Rufus emerged from their den for the first time at the U.K.'s Cotswold Wildlife Park in October.

Siska, here at 6 weeks old, was born to mom Subis in September at the U.K.'s Chester Zoo. The rare Sumatran orangutan was named for a veterinary specialist from Indonesia who spent three months working at the zoo and was the first to spot the baby clinging to her mom.

Twin red pandas Bert and Ernie were born June 30 at the ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in England to mom Tashi. The zoo released the first pictures of the pair in late September.

Two adorable caracal kittens were born Sept. 11 at the Oregon Zoo to mom Peggy. "Peggy has been a terrific mom," said keeper Laura Weiner. "She's very protective."

An orphaned brushtail possum is being cared for at the Taronga Wildlife Hospital in Australia. The joey, Bettina, loves cuddling with her stuffed animal kangaroo.

Two endangered male red panda cubs were born at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, N.Y., on June 25. Named Pumori and Rohan, the brothers are the first babies for mom Tabei and dad Ketu.

A brother and sister pair of lion cubs were born on Sept. 10 to mom Neliah at the Denver Zoo. Their keepers say the cubs are doing great behind the scenes with their mom.

Keepers at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park decided to hand-rear an endangered Sumatran tiger cub after determining he wasn't getting the care he needed to survive. He was born to first-time parents Teddy and Joanne on Sept. 14.

This adorable wallaby joey emerged from its mom's pouch at the San Diego Zoo in September.

After a Bennett's wallaby joey named Pip was abandoned by his mom at the Wildlife Reserves Singapore, his keepers made him a makeshift pouch from a reusable shopping bag and have been bottle feeding him.

A critically endangered western lowland gorilla born at the Cincinnati Zoo on Aug. 25 marked the 50th gorilla birth at the zoo. She was named Elle, which means "girl" and is a play on L, the Roman numeral for 50.

This beautiful pair of endangered snow leopard sisters was born at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo on June 16. The cubs, who each weigh about 10 pounds, are bonding off exhibit with their 4-year-old mom, Sarani.

Keepers at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are bottle feeding Congo, a 2-month-old giraffe calf whose mom sadly passed away weeks after his birth. Here, his keeper simulates the experience of nursing by covering her arm in a blanket with a pattern that looks like a giraffe. Congo was born June 22.

An endangered jaguar cub was born at the Ellen Trout Zoo in Texas on August 20 to mom Seraphina and dad Kabah. The male cub is named Balam, which is the Mayan word for jaguar. The cub is being hand-reared by his keepers but remains in visual contact with his parents.

Red panda cub Clark and his sister Addison were born at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago on June 26 to mom Leafa. So far, Addison has been growing more quickly than her brother. Here, Clark is pictured at his August 25 checkup.

Twin cotton-top tamarins Tammy and Tilly were born at the Cotswold Wildlife Park in England over the summer. The monkeys are critically endangered and live only in a small corner of Colombia.

White rhino Nancy surprised her keepers when she gave birth sooner than expected at the U.K.'s Cotswold Wildlife Park in August. The baby boy is the second calf born at the zoo this year.

Ten adorable panda cubs born this year at Ya'an Bifengxia Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center in Sichuan province, China, made their first public appearance on Aug. 21. They ranged in age from one week to two months old.

Twin panda cubs were born to Mei Xiang at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 22. Sadly, one of the cubs only survived for four days. Only one other set of surviving panda twins have been born in the U.S., at Zoo Atlanta.

A red panda cub was born this summer at the U.K.'s Longleat Safari. The cub is a result of an international effort to find a mate for the zoo's male red panda, Ajenda. Mom Rufina was transferred to the zoo from Italy in 2013.

North American porcupines Alice and Patrick welcomed a new baby boy on July 28 at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo. 

A 3-week-old pygmy hippo calf named Opi goes for his first public swim at the Melbourne Zoo in Australia on June 18, under his attentive mom's watchful eye. His name means "heart" in a Nigerian language.

A 100-pound female Grevy's zebra was born to mom Kali and dad Nazim at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo on July 7. Grevy's zebras are listed as endangered.

A Humboldt penguin chick hatched on June 26 at the Calgary Zoo in Canada. First-time parents Reina and Javier have been diligently caring for him, and he's thriving.

In just eight months, three endangered Rothschild's giraffe calves have been born at the Chester Zoo in the U.K. The most recent was born to mom Orla on July 23.

A lively little California sea lion pup was born at the ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in England on June 18 to mom Bailey and dad Dominic.

The Adelaide Zoo in Australia saved the life of this tree kangaroo joey by having a wallaby step in as a surrogate mom. His own mother was killed by a falling tree branch at the zoo in November 2014, when the baby was just five weeks old.

A male California sea lion pup was born June 11 at the Denver Zoo. Zookeepers say mom Luci has been particularly attentive to her newborn. It's her second offspring with Nick.

This "spunky" river otter pup was rescued while wandering on a highway in Oregon in June. The orphaned cub, who's believed to be between 2 and 3 months old, is now living at the Oregon Zoo.

Two endangered clouded leopard cubs were born to mom Gra Ding at the Khao Khew Open Zoo in Thailand on June 9. The cubs are just the second litter born as a result of artificial insemination, performed with the assistance of an expert from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

An endangered female ring-tailed lemur is being hand-raised at the San Diego Zoo. The baby was born to first-time mom Tweena on May 20, but separated from her mother after the staff realized she wasn't getting enough nutrition.

A blind 9-week-old red fox kit whose mother was hit by a car is settling in at her new home at the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Three critically endangered Sumatran tiger cubs were born at the U.K.'s Chester Zoo to mom Kirana and dad Fabi on Jan. 2.

Wolverine triplets Sunshine, Liv and Gutt were born at the U.K.'s Cotswold Wildlife Park. The rare cubs are just starting to venture out on their own after spending their first nine weeks in their den.

A male southern pudu made his debut at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo in New York. The fawn is a member of the world's smallest deer species.

These clouded leopard cubs born at the Point Defiance Zoo in Washington state on May 12 are extra special. It's uncommon for clouded leopards to have a litter of four, and the species is endangered. They're being hand-reared at the zoo.

A Western lowland gorilla was born at the Kansas City Zoo in Missouri on May 25 to 27-year-old mom Makari. It's the first birth for the endangered species at the zoo in 40 years.

Mom Funani nudges her 8-week-old hippo calf Devi to shallower waters in May. Devi was born March 23 at the San Diego Zoo.

A baby ocelot was born March 22 to 6-year-old mom Milagre at the Dallas Zoo. She'll remain the sole caretaker of her kitten, since the species is secretive by nature.

A male okapi named Will was born to Augusta K. at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo on April 21.

A critically endangered male black rhino calf was born to mom Bakhita on April 20 at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Australia. “At three weeks of age, he is very confident and bold,” said Keeper Jake Williams. “He is full of energy and likes to run flat out around his yard, first thing in the morning."

A trio of rare male Amur tigers is being hand reared at Ohio's Columbus Zoo. The cubs were born April 21 to mom Irisa, who failed to take care of them. The zoo says the cubs are thriving under the 24-hour care provided by the animal care team.

The Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo is celebrating a pair of special arrivals. Two of its critically endangered western lowland gorillas gave birth to babies this spring — one on March 10 and the on April 17.

Brazilian tapir Tiana gave birth to a baby boy at the U.K.'s Linton Zoo on April 18.

A red panda cub was born this summer at Longleat in the U.K. The birth is a result of an international effort to find a mate for the zoo's male red panda, Ajenda. Mom Rufina arrived at the zoo in 2013.

Animal Planet live streamed the birth of mom Katie's giraffe calf at the Dallas Zoo on Saturday. The active calf was quickly nursing, running and playing.

Tuah, a Bornean orangutan, was hand raised at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City after both of his parents died. He made his debut in April, when he was 5 months old.

One male and two female African lion cubs were born at Australia's Taronga Western Plains Zoo on Feb. 28, and had a clean bill of health at their checkup in April.

Canola, a manatee calf who was born in August, was hand-reared by keepers at the Wildlife Reserves Singapore after she was abandoned by her experienced mom. She's since been reintroduced to the herd.

Two female clouded leopard cubs were born in March to proud parents Serai and Rajasi at Zoo Miami.

A litter of six cheetah cubs born in December at the White Oak Conservation Center in Florida. Now, the playful babies have made it their priority to climb all over their mom, and wrestle each other.

A clouded leopard cub was born to mom Malee and dad Yim on March 7 at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo. The kitten is being hand-reared, which is standard protocol for the endangered species.

Arlene, a critically endangered Western lowland gorilla, was born to first-time mom Dara, who's 11 years old, at the Como Zoo in Minnesota on Feb. 22. Dad is 29-year-old Schroeder.

Zuri, a female giraffe calf, was born to 20-year-old mom Agnes and 3-year-old dad Moke on Feb. 21 at the Buffalo Zoo. Zuri is the Swahili word for beautiful or lovely. Moke is also dad to a male calf named Sampson, who was born at the zoo in October to mom A.J.

Two endangered male Grevy's zebra foals were born just over a week apart at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The first was born Feb. 26 and the second arrived on March 5.

Fennec foxes Sophie and Barkley are the proud parents of two kits — one boy and one girl — who were born on Jan. 23 at Tennessee's Chattanooga Zoo.

Busch Gardens Tampa announced in February that it has welcomed two 3-month-old cheetah cubs. Born on Nov. 22, the cubs are named Tendai, meaning “thankful,” and Thabo, meaning “joy."

An endangered Coquerel’s Sifaka lemur was born at the Duke Lemur Center on Jan. 8 to mom Euphemia and dad Lucius Verus. The baby girl was named Lupicina.

Thirty-four-year-old gorilla mom Jessica gave birth to her sixth baby boy Dec. 26 at the San Diego Zoo. Here, she snuggles her newborn in the sun on Jan. 2.

Simon, a male Colobus monkey, was born to experienced mom Celia and dad Kima at the Saint Louis Zoo on Dec. 30.

A critically endangered Eastern black rhino was born to mom Kitani and dad Sammy at the Chester Zoo in England on Jan. 31. The baby girl has been named Fara.

Keepers at the Paignton Zoo in the U.K. are bottle feeding Eliska, a rare Rothschild's giraffe calf who was born Jan. 11 and rejected by her mother.

Three Humboldt penguin chicks were born within three weeks in January at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York.

A trio of 10-week-old African lion cubs made their public debut at the Sacramento Zoo just before the start of 2015. They're happily settling into their enclosure and like to spend their days pouncing on each other, tumbling down a slope and chewing on their mom's tail.

Simon, a male Colobus monkey, was born to mom Celia and dad Kima at the Saint Louis Zoo in Missouri on Dec. 30. He joins his big sister Kivuli, who's taking good care of him.

A critically endangered female Sumatran orangutan was born via C-section to Como Zoo resident Mariksa on Jan. 7 at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center. Caesarian sections are rare for orangutans. The newborn weighed a robust 3.5 pounds.

The Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland rang in 2015 with the birth of a male Malayan tapir. He was born to mom Sayang and dad Mogli in the early morning hours of Dec. 31.

There's been a giraffe calf baby boom at the Lion Country Safari in Florida. The fifth calf of 2014 was born Dec. 30. He was named Hakuna and has been playing in the maternity pen with fellow newborn Matata, who was born Dec. 16.

Zebra foal Marini was born to first-time parents Kaya and Bwana at Australia's Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dec. 30. “Marini has been seen frolicking playfully amongst the herd ... which is a delight for visitors,” her keeper said.

A female critically endangered Sumatran orangutan was born to mom Merah, 45, and dad Cinta, 10, at the Saint Louis Zoo Dec. 14. Zoo officials are asking the public for help naming her.