A “miracle” happened in England: for the first time ever, a baby aardvark was born at the local zoo (7 photos)

If you are ready to receive a “portion of cuteness and good mood,” then meet the newborn Dobby the aardvark.





Dobby the aardvark

He was born in an English zoo, which happened for the first time in the history of local institutions of this type. The bald cub looks rather strange, but very cute. The staff named him Dobby, after their “Harry Potter” elf.



Develops burrowing skills

“When we saw the cub next to mom, we immediately noticed his amazing resemblance to the character from the film about the boy wizard. There was no question about his name, everyone understood without words that it was Dobby,” said Dave White, a zoo employee.

Both Dobbies have large ears and pink, bald, wrinkled skin.





Dobby the Elf

Despite the not the most pleasant comparison, the baby is beautiful. His appearance is an important event for the English Chester Zoo. The zoo became the first institution in England in which an aardvark was born, in addition, the baby was an excellent gift for the 90th anniversary of the “menagerie”.

Why is the baby's well-being monitored by the entire zoo?

A mother aardvark, together with zoo staff, cares for her baby. But the life of such a long-awaited zoo child is precious, so the family is under almost round-the-clock surveillance.



Dobby with mom

“Aardvarks are quite clumsy. “Aardvark mothers are also not very careful and careful, so they can harm their newborn children,” explained White.

That is why all zoo employees take turns monitoring the enclosure with aardvarks. Also, responsible people monitor Dobby's feeding. To make him stronger and gain weight, they often supplement him with food, especially in the evening.

Not clumsy, but loved

Aardvarks are born tiny, weighing between 1.5 and 2 kilograms. Adults, like Dobby’s mother, often reach a weight of 70, or even as much as 100 kilograms. Therefore, until the baby gets stronger, people will protect him from squeezing, blows and any other physical influences.



It's good with mom

Dobby himself simply loves to bask in the arms of his beloved mother. Pressing his whole body against her, he instantly falls asleep. Fortunately, there is always someone nearby who can prevent any unpleasant and life-threatening situation.

Today, just over 100 aardvarks live in zoos around the world. This allows zoologists to study the habits and lifestyle of these animals. Before the first aardvark was introduced into captivity, little was known about them.



Feeding the baby

Now information about the maintenance of aardvarks is transmitted to all leading zoos and nature reserves. If necessary, it will allow people to take care of maintaining their numbers. Fortunately, today, aardvarks are not at risk. But hunting them for their meat, which is somewhat reminiscent of pork, tough skin and teeth, may soon change their conservation status. Human activity also leads to population decline. Hang in there, endemic Africans!



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Have you seen an aardvark live?