Cutest Baby Animals of the New Year

WEST LOWLAND GORILLA NEWBORN

The Prague Zoo has a new bundle of joy. One of their female gorillas, Kijivu, gave birth to her fourth child, a baby boy. The birth was especially heartwarming since Kijivu lost one of her children several months before in a freak accident. 

ASIATIC LION CUBS

Bristol Zoo's new male cubs, Kamran and Ketan, don't mind the special attention they are getting. The zoo's staff began hand-rearing these cuties due to mis-mothering. Now the pair are being doted over by a whole group of surrogate parents. 

PYGMY HIPPO BABY

Lowry Park Zoo's pygmy hippo baby is working on perfecting her singing pipes with a little help from mom. The fun-sized Zola has become the star of the zoo, even with her not-so-pitch-perfect voice. When she isn't making noise, Zola loves playing with mom and hanging in the mud. 

MEERKAT KITS

Dartmoor Zoo's meerkats Xena and Timon are now proud parents. After years of trying, the zoo was able to successfully breed the animals, leading to three fuzzy babies. The triplets are now being cared for by the meerkat group's head female, Sue. 

OKAPI CALF

This rare forest giraffe also known as a okapi was the first of its kind born in North America in 2013. Now a little over three weeks old, the calf is learning how to "nest" at the Tampa zoo it calls home. This is a practice where young animals hide themselves from predators — an important skill in the wild and a good way to hide from cameras at the zoo. 

NEPALESE RED PANDA CUB

The Auckland Zoo received one of the sweetest Christmas gifts around. A rare red panda was born at the facility to a first time mom right before the holiday. Both the mom and baby are doing great, which is important because red panda infants are highly dependent on their mothers for the first three months of life. 

AFRICAN ELEPHANT CALF

Mpumi the baby has no problem speaking her mind, even though she is dwarfed by all the other members of her enclosure. The newbie is only the second elephant born at the Lowry Park Zoo. Mpumi is Swati for success or achievement, so she is certainly living up to her name. 

SOMALI WILD ASS FOAL 

The name may sound funny, but these animals need some serious help. Somali wild asses are the rarest critters at Zoo Basel, making Jana the foal's birth a very big deal. Jana isn't letting the attention get to her head, though — she spends most of her time perfecting her frolicking. 

HARPY EAGLE CHICK

Zoo Miami now has another harpy eagle stretching its wings. The chick hatched in early January and is already given mom a mouthful of sass. The endangered bird baby is adapting well to the zoo, and especially enjoys feeding time.

BABY GIANT ANTEATER

This endangered anteater baby is hitchhiking its way through Chester Zoo. The new addition will stay on mama's back for the first six months, until the newborn is ready to start venturing out on his own. Good thing new mom Bliss is so patient. 

BABY ORANGUTAN 

Blaze of Zoo Atlanta will be celebrating Mother's day this year. The first-time mom gave birth to a beautiful baby orangutan. The pair are doing well. Now that animal handlers have ensured the baby is healthy, the duo will be spending a lot more bonding time together. 

BUFFALO BABY 

The Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden welcomed a new buffalo this month. The newborn is still a tad shy and likes to stick near mom, but we're sure this beautiful baby will take a shine to visitors soon. 

WHITE-CHEEKED GIBBON BABY

The Bronx zoo is welcoming a rare addition. A white-cheeked baby gibbon was born at the facility at the beginning of this year. While mom doesn't look too happy, the zoo is ecstatic about the newborn as it is the first white-cheeked gibbon born at the Bronx Zoo since 2000.