Babies

There are some new babies at the San Diego Zoo, and we went to see them a few weeks ago.  These gorgeous critters are Tikal and Maderas, born on April 26th to mom Nindiri and dad Guapo.  Nindiri is very familiar to our family: three years ago, Robert, Pandora and I took a "Behind the Scenes" tour of the zoo, which included touring the grounds in a golf cart.  As we approached Nindiri's habitat, we saw that she had stopped grooming and trained her attention on us.  She had apparently scented Pandora, and was immediately on high alert.  

She stood up, locked eyes with Pandora and growled softly.  Pandora stood (sat) her ground and growled right back. 

And as the golf cart moved slowly away, Nindiri followed us as far as her enclosure would let her.  It was a fabulous interaction with a a truly beautiful animal.

Fast forward to June, and Nindiri has finally become a mom.

The cubs are clearly thriving and enjoying life at the San Diego Zoo, and it's going to be so much fun watching them grow into beautiful, sleek adults.