From Dalmatian pelicans to radiated tortoises: Moscow Zoo boasts over 300 animal births

Since the beginning of 2026, the Moscow Zoo has got more than 300 newborn animals, including the young of the Bornean earless monitor, Mexican bicolored snake, ring-tailed lemurs, white-fronted capuchin, domestic yaks, and alpacas, in addition to wolverine cubs and chicks of Dalmatian pelicans, red-crowned cranes, and American flamingos.

“Today, the zoo is home to more than 1,200 animal species. Many of them are in the Red List,” says Deputy Moscow Mayor Natalya Sergunina.

Offspring were also born to radiated tortoises, a species on the brink of extinction in the wild, giant plated lizards and some rare species, such as Humboldt penguins and mint stick insects, the latter having hatched at the Moscow Zoo for the first time ever.

Moscow’s specialists also care for animals brought from other habitats; this year, a new arrival is Charlie, a ram of the world’s smallest Ouessant breed.

Animal enthusiasts can watch the zoo’s inhabitants via online broadcasts on mos.ru. Since the beginning of the year, the live streams from pandas, Pallas’s cats, honey badgers, elephants, capybaras, pygmy hippos, gorillas, orangutans, meerkats, lynx, and other animal cameras have amassed over 2.5 million views in fact.

Forged a year ago, Moscow Zoo’s wildlife rescue team has processed nearly 4,000 requests and paid over 1,500 on-site visits.

In 2025, the metropolitan zoo welcomed more than 3.2 million visitors.