ARGENTINA: Albino wallaby and rare tapir babies born in Buenos Aires Zoo

Two baby wallabies -- one of them an albino -- and an unusual-looking tapir are born at Argentina's Buenos Aires Zoo. With a snort and a hop, three new animal babies were introduced to Argentina's Buenos Aires Zoo on Thursday (November 01). First out into the blinking sun, a baby of the strange-looking South American tapir. Although they look like pigs, tapirs are more closely related to horses and rhinoceroses, both of which lived in South America before the last Ice Age. That is why they have distinct three-hoofed toes on the rear feet, just like ancient horses' hooves. Their other unique features are their long flexible "trunks", which they use to delicately pluck grasses and other food, and they also have a distinctive mane along the back of the neck. According to the zoo's head veterinarian Miguel Rivolta, tapirs are among the largest extant mammals in Latin America -- and can weigh as much as 230 kilograms (500 pounds), reach one metre (three and a half feet) in height at the shoulder, and measure over two metres (six feet) long. "The tapir is the biggest terrestrial mammal in South America and this is a very important birth in terms of conservation, because this is a species that is an incredibly high risk of extinction. And generally, it is our fault. We cut down trees and ruin the environment. And so, every birth of a tapir in South America is an achievement for their conservation," Rivolta said. But perhaps the more surprising of the zoo's new borns, a fluffy white wallaby still peeking out from his mother's pouch. These are red-necked wallabies -- and are normally known for their distinctive reddish patches of colouring on their heads and necks. But the park's latest addition is anything but red. It is an albino baby -- which means that by a genetic fluke it has non-pigmented skin, eyes and hair. It was born seven months ago, but like all marsupials it will not leave its mother's pouch until it is fully-grown. Born at the same time was another traditional-coloured joey, who is a better representation of what the species usually looks like. Red-necked wallabies are normally forest-dwelling creatures found in the eastern parts of Australia. In their natural habitats they are solitary animals, but can be seen grazing from late afternoon to dawn in grassy areas in groups. All wallabies are actually kangaroos. But in Australia, it is common to call the smaller-sized species wallabies and so the name has stuck. "They are marsupials (pouch-bearing animals) characteristic of Australia and the fantastic part of this situation is that one of them was born albino. It is very uncommon in the wild," Rivolta said. Approximately one in 10,000 wallabies are born albino, according to the zoo's authorities.

ITN Source | November 5, 2007

Tags:. .horses. .environment. .skin. .rare. .incredibly