Turtle Back Zoo Welcomes Baby Stingrays Just in Time for Mother’s Day – Invites Facebook Fans to Suggest Names
(May 9, 2013 – West Orange, NJ): The newest bundles of animal joy were born at Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, NJ just in time for Mother’s Day. Two stingray mothers gave birth within the last six weeks, with the newest birth occurring just this morning. Dewey was born on March 27th – and the second baby ray, born today, does not yet have a name. The Zoo is inviting its Facebook fans to suggest names on its Facebook page, where the new name will be announced next week.
Although the baby stingrays are both too small to be on exhibit, their mothers can be seen in the Zoo’s touch tank inside the new Sea Lion Sound exhibit. The babies will join their mothers on exhibit next year when they are bigger in size.
Baby stingray "Dewey" is currently only about six inches in wingspan – smaller than a human hand. Both babies will grow to be about one and a half feet in width. Fun fact: newborn stingrays begin swimming immediately and eat small bits of fish!
Other members of Turtle Back Zoo’s animal family will also be celebrating Mother’s Day on Sunday. There are three wallaby joeys in their mothers’ pouches at the Zoo. Visitors can catch a glimpse, as the babies just started peeking out their heads. Director of Turtle Back Zoo, Dr. Jeremy Goodman, expects to see prairie dog pups within the next couple of weeks as well.
The Zoo is a great way to spend Mother's Day weekend, and will be open from 10:00am- 4:30pm on Saturday, 11:00am- 5:30pm on Sunday. For more information, visit TurtleBackZoo.com – or facebook.com/TurtleBackZoo.
# # #
PRESS: For more information about the Turtle Back Zoo, please contact Nicole Mazewski at The S3 Agency: 973-257-5533 or nmazewski@theS3agency.com
About The Turtle Back Zoo
Turtle Back Zoo, New Jersey’s #1 Zoo, is AZA-accredited and features over 800 animals from around the world. Turtle Back Zoo is part of South Mountain Recreation Complex, located in West Orange, NJ. Opened in 1963, Turtle Back Zoo is committed to providing an enriching recreation experience that fosters excellence in wildlife education and wildlife conservation for present and future generations.
Tags:
