Abit of news from the Zoo's website: Over the holiday period, Belfast zoo’s keepers have been particularly busy caring for the some new additions to the zoo farm. An African pygmy goat, a miniature donkey and seven piglets were born at the farm within seven weeks! Lady, the Gloucestershire old spot pig, and Napoleon, the Berkshire pig, welcomed seven piglets on 9 November (5 boys and 2 girls) and these hyperactive bundles of joy have definitely made the farm a noisier place to be! On 18 November Edmund and Hannah, the African pygmy goats, became proud parents of Dee Dee. Edmund and Hannah arrived at Belfast Zoo in February 2010 and after a naming competition Luke Denton, from Coleraine, decided that the pair should be named after great climbers, since African pygmy goats are great climbers too! Hannah was named after Hannah Shields who was the first lady from Northern Ireland to climb Mount Everest and Edmund was named after Edmund Hillary, the first ever man to complete the challenge! Zoo keepers also received a late Christmas present when Brooke the miniature donkey arrived on 29 December, in the early hours of the morning, making her the last animal to be born at Belfast zoo in 2010. Her parents Miss Ellie and Dylan welcomed their first foal in 2003 and have since had six foals in total! Zoo curator, Alyn Cairns is delighted with the new arrivals, “the zoo team are all delighted with the recent births at the farm! The farm plays an important role in the zoo as it gives us the opportunity to educate visitors about native species and rare breed farm animals. I am pleased to say that the success of the zoo farm in 2010 is set to continue for 2011 as the vet has just confirmed that Penny, the Tamworth pig, is also pregnant!”
Yes a great baby boom solely in the farm! Let's hope this years baby boom is just as rich as last years!
