JAPAN: An unexpected "baby boom" at a Tokyo zoo attracts hoards of visitors

An unexpected "baby boom" at a Tokyo zoo attracts hoards of visitors, who have come to see the new-born koala, monkey, chimpanzee, giraffe, tiger and orangutan. Newborn animals were the latest attractions at Tokyo's a local zoo on Tuesday (January 30), where visitors rarely see both mothers and their new offspring together. Babies of the endangered orangutan and koala were born at the Tama zoo last December and May respectively -- both for the first time in six years . A baby monkey, chimpanzee, giraffe, tiger were also born last year and have made their public debut recently. New arrivals are already attracting hoards of visitors. A zoo keeper said recent renovations may have given the mothers a peace of mind that helped them give birth. "Many of the zoo's major exhibits were reconstructed recently to make animals feel more comfortable and natural, so I think those efforts have borne fruit," said zoo keeper Hidetoshi Kurotori. Parents brought their children to visit the new-born animals. "We saw a lot of cute babies. I would like to have one," said 41-year-old Kazutoshi Tanaka, a visitor. "Once all humans were animals. So there are things we can learn from them," added another visitor, 38-year-old Kiyomi Tsuda. Most new-born animals are often taken to a special nursery due to inadequate care by their mothers. Yet these mothers have taken good care of their offspring, who have not left the mothers' sides.

ITN Source | February 3, 2007

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