Skip to content

Aardvark Calves Born in Nashville, Chester and Berlin in 2026

An aardvark crouching on loose soil
Conservation · Management

Three zoos reported aardvark (Orycteropus afer) calves in 2026. The births in Nashville, Chester and Berlin involved a species kept at relatively few zoos, and the calves received very different forms of care during their first weeks.

Nashville: routine monitoring after the zoo’s first aardvark birth

Nashville Zoo announced on 12 January that Karanga had given birth on New Year’s Day. The four-pound calf was the first aardvark born at the zoo. Nashville reported that it became the 34th aardvark living in a zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the first calf born in that network since 2024. Mother and calf were monitored in a behind-the-scenes area.

Chester: supplementary feeding was needed

At Chester Zoo, keepers had to intervene when Oni did not produce enough milk for her calf. The youngster, nicknamed Womble and announced on 20 May, spent the first weeks in an incubator during the night and received warm milk from a bottle every few hours while its nocturnal mother foraged. It was reunited with Oni each morning and was living with her full-time by the time of the announcement. This was only the second aardvark birth in the zoo’s 94-year history. Chester reported that 68 aardvarks lived in European zoos and 114 in zoos worldwide.

Berlin: minimal disturbance in the first weeks

Zoo Berlin announced a third calf on 23 July. Memphis had given birth on 11 July to her second offspring with Kito after their first calf was born in April 2025. The new calf had reached about three kilograms. During the sensitive early period, the keepers gave mother and calf as much quiet as possible and approached them only briefly for health and weight checks. Zoo Berlin noted that despite a gestation of about eight months, aardvark calves are born relatively small and not yet very independent, and normally continue nursing for around six months.

Together, the three announcements provide concrete examples of early management in aardvarks: routine monitoring in Nashville, supplementary feeding followed by reunion in Chester, and minimal disturbance with short checks in Berlin.

Sources and image credit

  1. Nashville Zoo — First-ever aardvark calf announcementFirst-party Nashville Zoo announcement published 12 January 2026. The calf was born 1 January to Karanga and Winsol, weighed about four pounds, was the zoo's first aardvark calf, the 34th aardvark in AZA-accredited zoos and the first born in that network since 2024.
  2. Chester Zoo — Zookeepers help raise newborn aardvark called WombleFirst-party update published 20 May 2026. The second aardvark calf born in the zoo's 94-year history needed supplementary feeds because its mother did not produce enough milk. Keepers used an incubator at night and bottle-fed warm milk every few hours before reuniting the calf with its mother each morning; by publication it was back with its mother full-time. The zoo reported 68 aardvarks in European zoos and 114 worldwide.
  3. Zoo Berlin — Ein kleiner Höhlenkobold auf vier PfotenFirst-party press release published 23 July 2026. Memphis gave birth on 11 July to her second calf with Kito after their first was born in April 2025. The calf had reached around three kilograms. During the sensitive early period, keepers gave the pair maximum quiet and approached only briefly for health and weight checks.

Image: Theo Kruse / Burgers’ Zoo — aardvark at Royal Burgers’ Zoo in Arnhem, the Netherlands, photographed 9 May 2019. Representative zoo image; not one of the calves born in Nashville, Chester or Berlin in 2026. · CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Management

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Aardvark Orycteropus afer Explore species

Independent research and conservation news archive

Did you find this information useful?

Wildlife Vagabond is independently built and maintained. Voluntary support helps cover source verification, hosting and continued work on research and conservation news.

Support Wildlife Vagabond

The news archive will remain freely available.