IT has been a brilliant year for births so far at Colchester Zoo with plenty of cuteness arriving at the zoo.
There have been plenty of new arrivals already in the first half of the year.
From monkeys and penguins to deers and birds, the adorable new younglings came in many shapes and sizes.
Below is a list of every new arrival:
Philippine spotted deer baby
The first arrival of the year on January 2 at Colchester Zoo was a Philippine spotted deer calf, born to parents Autumn (mum) and Bongat (dad), who already have three children Clive, Dot and Eugene.
The species is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, so having four calves born at the zoo is fantastic news for all involved.
The family of Philippine spotted deer can be seen at Island Dwellers.
Ruppells griffon vulture chick
The second arrival at the zoo came courtesy of a Ruppells griffon vulture chick, born on March 2, 2024.
This was the third chick born to experienced parents Morticia (mum) and Jekyll (Dad).
Vultures play a crucial role in the ecosystem with them being one of nature's best scavengers, feeding off carcasses and reducing the risk of disease spreading.
Warthog hoglets
On March 5 and 6, the Animal Care Team discovered that female warthog, Hermoine had given birth to four hoglets.
The sex of the hoglets was confirmed as one male and three female.
They were subsequently named Badger, Ditch, Poppy and Willow.
Kirk's dik-dik calf
On March 21, Colchester Zoo saw the arrival of a Kirk's dik-dik calf which was born to mum Daenerys and dad Demetri.
The pair have a great bond having successfully produced eight calves together.
The Kirk's dik-dik is one of the smallest members of the antelope family, with a maximum body length of 80cm.
Humboldt penguin chicks
The cuteness levels were off the scale following the arrival of two Humboldt penguin chicks, born on April 2.
The two chicks were mum Pepper and dad Chiles's second hatchlings, after Jalapeno and Tabasco.
Humboldt penguins are currently listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.
Black Colombian spider monkey baby
Colchester Zoo welcomed its next arrival on April 16, a Black Colombian spider monkey baby.
This was mum Cheekaboo's seventh offspring, with dad Julius said to do a brilliant job looking after their children.
On June 21, the Animal Care Team announced that it was a baby boy and they had decided to name him Chicory.
Gelada baboon baby
On May 12, Colchester Zoo welcomed another new arrival, this time a gelada baboon baby, the first of the species born at the zoo since 2022.
Female Gelada baboons usually only give birth to one offspring at a time and this was mum Kamena's first baby.
The zoo's gelada baboon family now stand strong at 15.
Another Kirk's dik-dik calf
Another Kirk's dik-dik calf was born on May 21 to mum Pumpkin. As well as being the dad to Daenerys calf born earlier in the year, Demetri is also the dad of Pumpkin's calf.
Demetri has sired 17 calves since arriving from Antwerp Zoo in September 2016.
On June 18, Colchester Zoo announced that they had named the male calf Squash.
Coppery titi monkey baby
The most recent arrival, a coppery titi monkey baby, was born on June 13.
Parents Copper (Mum) and Lewis became first-time parents and the cuteness is off the scale for this new arrival.
The little one is still under close watch from Dad who will be in primary care following mum's carrying stint of around 132 days.
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