Cincinnati Zoo

Kesi gives Daisy raspberries! Here at the Cincinnati Zoo, we’re constantly amazed by the way our bonobo troop cares for each other— especially when it comes to raising little ones. Bonobos practice alloparenting, which means aunties, siblings, and even unrelated members of the group pitch in to help care for babies! This cooperative care strengthens social bonds, eases the burden on moms, and helps young bonobos learn how to be great parents themselves one day.

Happy 22nd Birthday Tucker!!

Meet Ellie, the rescued orphaned opossum at the Cincinnati Zoo! 🥹😍🤩

It’s exhausting being this adorable 🥰 Otter pups Ripple, Splash, Puddles, & Scuttle are doing well and bonding behind the scenes with their parents!

Allergy season 🤧 😆 Up close with cheetah cub Kiara!

Happy World Porcupine Day to Rico the porcupine! Contrary to popular belief, a porcupine cannot shoot its spines and quills.

Rico the Brazilian porcupine (carefully) scratches an itch!

We're not the only species who plays airplane! Bonobo mom Gilda plays with her seven month old daughter Daisy and gives her a sweet hug at the end! Bonobos are one of the few matriarchal animal societies in the world and the only matriarchal great ape species. #conservation #bonobos #babyanimals #animals #cincinnatizoo

The 4 otter pups, Ripple, Splash, Puddles, & Scuttle, are still doing well and bonding behind the scenes with parents Munti & Flounder!!

It's Zoo Babies month at the Cincinnati Zoo! Meet Daisy: the 7 month old bonobo! Bonobos, once called pygmy chimps, are the smallest of the great ape species. They share 98.7% of our DNA. Unlike gorillas or chimpanzees, bonobos are a matriarchal society. They are female lead, and female bonds take priority over male bonds. The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is proud to support Lola Ya Bonobo, the world's only bonobo sanctuary, in their efforts to rehabilitate orphaned bonobos, and reintroduce them into protected areas in the wild. Lola Ya Bonobo also helps communities coexist with bonobos by building a better future through conservation and sustainable livelihoods, rather than over hunting. #babyanimals #baby #animals #cincinnatizoo #bonobo

Meet .. Ellie! Named after the mammoth from Ice Age that thinks she's an opossum. Ellie is an orphaned baby opossum that came to us from Ohio Wildlife Rehab.

Nap time with Kiara the cheetah cub! These cubs are now 6 months old! See Kiara and sisters Lulu & Zola during Zoo Babies! 😻😻😻

Fritz is a very quick learner and is the only hippo in our bloat that knows a lay "down" behavior. He naturally likes to lay down facing the keeper space with his little feet poking out under the gates, so it made sense to begin trying to desensitize him to having his feet touched for various reasons. Historically we have trained for our hippos to do blood draws from their tails, but some hippos are trained for blood draws from their feet. So after seeing Fritz didn't mind having his foot touched or poked, we decided to try and get blood from his foot. Hippos have very tough skin, so there are only a few places on their body that we can draw blood from. We practiced with Fiona for months before she was ready for a blood draw, but Fritz was ready after just a few sessions. He even lays down and puts his foot out without being told to when the space is opened up for him where the blood draw is done. This will help us get important information about his health without causing him any extra stress. #animalcare #hippo #animals #cincinnatizoo

Fiona likes to check on her care team when they are cleaning her indoor bedroom area. When she was a baby, her entire head fit in the window! 🥹 She’s grown up so much!! #teamfiona

Ring-tailed lemur vocalizations! Ring-tailed lemurs communicate with vocalizations and scent marking. They are one of the most vocal primates with at least 15 different vocalizations.

Pupdate: Cincinnati Zoo veterinary staff and animal care team conducted a wellness check on the Asian small-clawed otter pups. All four pups appear healthy! Munti's going to have her hands full — they're all boys!

Munti the new Asian small-clawed otter dries off! Asian small-clawed otters are meticulous groomers. They spend a lot of time maintaining their fur because if it gets dirty or matted, it loses its waterproofing ability. This would mean cold water reaching the skin—which is a big no for a semi-aquatic animal. Since they don’t have oil glands like some other aquatic mammals (e.g., sea otters), they rely on rolling on the ground or grass to fluff and dry their fur.

The first Sihek, aka Guam kingfisher, chick of 2025 has hatched at the Cincinnati Zoo! This is big news for a species that is listed as extinct in the wild. @CincinnatiZoo is part of a group of AZA-accredited zoos that have been working together, along with Sihek Recovery Project partners, to repopulate this species since the 1980s. Each chick is vitally important. Last year the group was able to send 9 young Sihek to an island in the pacific as a first step to rewilding these birds. They are thriving there, and the goal is to send more! So, celebrate this rare little bird!

Stay 🆒! It’s HOT in Cincinnati this week! One way the keepers help the cheetah cubs stay cool is with ice and popsicles! Frozen blood and meat are these carnivores popsicle of choice! Zola gets distracted and plays with Kiara’s tail! Cheetahs are obligate carnivores, meaning that they only eat meat! #Summer #animalcare #animals #cats #cheetah #cincinnatizoo

The cubs found a piece of wood. Most fun ever, according to them. 😻😸 #cats #cheetah