Mandai Wildlife Group Welcomes Around 1,000 Animal Babies in 2025

Coinciding with the season of renewal leading up to the Lunar New Year, Mandai Wildlife Group has unveiled its 2025 Baby Roundup, celebrating a year marked by new life, conservation milestones and growing animal families across its wildlife parks.

In 2025, close to 1,000 animal babies were born across Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders, Bird Paradise and Rainforest Wild Asia. Among the new arrivals are several rare and threatened species, including the critically endangered red-shanked douc langur and Huulien leopard gecko, as well as the first successful hatching of Socorro doves, a species that is extinct in the wild. The year also marked first-time births for species such as the L’hoest’s monkey, wattled crane and Chinese fire belly newt.

Visitors are invited to ring in the Lunar New Year with a meaningful family outing to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, where every visit supports the care and protection of the animals that call the parks home.

Singapore Zoo: Rare Births and Growing Families

Singapore Zoo celebrated several notable arrivals in 2025, including its first serval kittens in 12 years. Born on 25 June to Lyla, who arrived from Rotterdam Zoo in 2023, the healthy male and female kittens are now exploring the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia exhibit. While the male stays close to his mother, his adventurous sister has begun venturing further afield, delighting visitors with her bold personality.

The zoo also welcomed a Grevy’s zebra foal on 2 December, born to Desta and Moyo. As the largest and most endangered zebra species, the birth is especially significant for conservation efforts. The curious foal can already be seen trotting after her mother at Wild Africa, pausing frequently to take in her surroundings.

Primate Kingdom grew with the births of a red-shanked douc langur, a L’hoest’s monkey and twin red-ruffed lemurs. Nhat, the red-shanked douc born on 1 January, has become a lively favourite, while the zoo’s first L’hoest’s monkey infant, born on 28 June, has shown a confident yet cautious temperament. Twin red-ruffed lemurs born in December are expected to make their public debut soon, adding to the zoo’s managed populations of threatened species.

RepTopia also marked a standout year, recording first-ever hatchings of New Caledonia giant geckos, Huulien leopard geckos and Chinese fire belly newts. These achievements were supported by targeted refinements in husbandry, including habitat enhancements and carefully regulated environmental conditions. Given how little is known about the critically endangered Huulien leopard gecko, the hatchlings present valuable research opportunities.

Amphibian breeding also saw success, with Vietnamese mossy frogs and endangered golden mantellas producing 14 and 24 hatchlings respectively, reflecting growing expertise in amphibian care and conservation.

Night Safari: Rare Sightings After Dark

Night Safari welcomed its first red dhole litter in nearly a decade, with three pups born in June. Raised under close but unobtrusive monitoring, the endangered Asian wild dog pups are now more adventurous and can be spotted along the tram route.

The park also celebrated the birth of a male seladang calf, alongside several fawns from threatened deer species, including barasingha, thamin and hog deer. These young ungulates are already exploring their habitats and responding well to enrichment designed to encourage natural foraging behaviour.

River Wonders: New Generations Under Care

River Wonders continued to see success with the birth of two West Indian manatee calves in October and November. Both females required specialised care due to early challenges, including premature birth and nursing difficulties. With round-the-clock support from aquarists, both calves are now progressing well, with one exploring the Amazon Flooded Forest exhibit and the other beginning to wean off formula milk.

The park also recorded over 60 fry from the endangered Boeseman’s rainbowfish in 2025, supported by carefully managed breeding techniques.

Bird Paradise: A Year of Firsts

Bird Paradise marked several major milestones, including the hatching of its first wattled crane chick in November, a vulnerable African species and the second-largest crane in the world. The chick is closely bonded to its mother and is thriving under a carefully supplemented diet.

The park also celebrated its first successful Socorro dove hatchings, with two chicks born in August and September. With fewer than 200 individuals remaining in human care worldwide, this achievement represents a significant conservation success.

Adding to the highlights, Bird Paradise welcomed its first kagu chicks, placing Mandai Wildlife Group among a small number of institutions worldwide to have successfully bred this endangered species. Flamingo breeding also flourished, with seven American flamingos and 15 greater flamingos hand-raised to maximise survival.

Gentoo penguins Riki and Peach delighted visitors with the arrival of their third chick in two years, continuing a successful breeding partnership under the EAZA programme.

Rainforest Wild Asia: First Births in a New Park

Rainforest Wild Asia celebrated its first animal birth even before opening, with the arrival of a male Philippine spotted deer fawn in February. One of the world’s most endangered deer species, its conservation is supported by Mandai Nature through partnerships in the Philippines.

The park also welcomed two axis deer fawns and a Southeast Asian box turtle hatchling. Initially weighing just 10 grams, the turtle has since grown significantly under close monitoring, highlighting the success of dedicated care efforts.

Mandai Wildlife Group’s Baby Roundup 2025 reflects a year of meaningful progress in animal care, breeding and conservation.