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Moscow Zoo Showcases Hand-Reared Potto, Introduces First Spotted Genet

The zoo details specialized nocturnal care that balances welfare with visitor access.

Overview

  • A male potto born on September 16 to Nellia and Noris is thriving after maternal rejection, with staff providing round-the-clock hand‑rearing from day one.
  • Keepers used pipette feeds, gentle abdominal massage and grooming to simulate parental care, gradually shifting the infant, named Neyton, to adult foods as his weight rose from about 50 g to 355 g by early January.
  • Neyton is being carefully integrated near his family in a separate room within the parental enclosure and can be seen in the Night World exhibit of the Primates pavilion.
  • The potto is a vulnerable nocturnal primate species that is challenging to breed and maintain in zoos, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
  • Separately, a male spotted genet has completed quarantine and moved into the Animals of Africa pavilion, where an inverted light cycle, tiered enclosure design, targeted diet and veterinary training support acclimation and visitor viewing.