While Walt Disney World Resort is temporarily closed to the public, the team at Disney's Animal Kingdom has welcomed two new additions in the form of two adorable newborn animals.
A baby prehensile-tailed porcupine was born to mother Peri on February 25. Many Disney and animal lovers have been anticipating the birth since Peri was shown receiving an ultrasound by Disney veterinarian Dr. Natalie in the Disney+ documentary, One Day at Disney.
The newborn porcupine, also known as a porcupette, was confirmed to be a girl after the Animal Kingdom team sent some of her tiny quills for DNA testing.
The unnamed porcupette is thriving under the loving care of her mother and the Animal Kingdom veterinary team.
Another Animal Kingdom family member joined the fold on Saturday, March 21, when Heidi the zebra gave birth to a healthy foal. The birth marks the third zebra birth at Walt Disney World.
The zebra foal was also determined to be a little girl and was already standing and roaming about 30 minutes after birth. The unnamed foal and her mother quickly developed a strong bond. After a few more weeks of bonding, the mother-daughter pair will be introduced to the Kilimanjaro Safaris savannah-area of the park.
Both babies are part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) program, which is overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and ensures responsible breeding and genetic diversity of thousands of species of animals.
Though the public cannot travel to see the adorable baby porcupine and zebra in person, they can visit Disney's blog to receive updates on the newborns' progress.
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