As spring asserts itself after a long winter of freezes and thaws, we search for signs of new life. We watch for the first crocus and new green leaves, appreciate the later sunsets, and are aware that the animal world is ready for spring, too. Babies are arriving in the wild woods or our own backyards, as well as in the zoos and farms that welcome human visitors.
The forest preserves in the area may be home to many newborns, but they’re probably hiding — as they should be. Great horned owls typically hatch by the end of March, but they’re quite adept at staying out-of-sight in the trees, said Jim Chelsvig, education manager for Cook County Forest Preserves. Opossums have two litters a year, and the first are typically born in February. Being marsupials, the mother opossums will carry their young for several months, so the babies may start roaming the woods and our yards in May.
Mid-May to June will be the debut for fawns. Their older siblings and parents have been out and about in their drab gray-brown coats, but the babies have rich golden brown coats with white spots.
“You would think this small creature with polka dots would stand out,” Chelsvig said. “But they’re fabulously camouflaged.” The young deer blend in with the dappling effect of the sun through the new green leaves.
“I just about stepped on one once walking in the woods. That’s how good the camouflage is,” he said. “The mother is big and obvious and has a smell, so it doesn’t do any good for her to be close” to the baby, as it could attract predators.
It’s not uncommon to find a baby — such as a squirrel or rabbit — who looks like the mother has vanished. It’s best to leave them alone, Chelsvig said.
He recommends searching “Living with Wildlife in Illinois,” an information site run by the University of Illinois Extension to find out more about what to do if you find injured wildlife near your home.
“(People) find a baby of some sort, and it’s not attended to, and automatically they think it’s abandoned. That’s not necessarily true. In most cases it’s not true,” Chelsvig said. “The best way to enjoy wildlife is from a distance. They don’t want our help.”
Fortunately, there are several opportunities to take a peek at — and even pet in some cases — new animal babies without disrupting nature’s balance.
Big Run Wolf Ranch in Lockport expects to see a litter or two of wolf pups soon, said owner John Basile. Wolves typically mate in February, and pups are born about two months later. Last year, the mama wolf developed an infection and lost her pups, but this year everyone is healthy, Basile said.
At Big Run, about two weeks after wolf pups are born, they are taken from their moms and “handled, handled, handled” to be acclimated to humans, Basile said. After they are 12 weeks old, the pups will be transferred to other federally licensed facilities with a similar mission to educate people about wildlife with up-close visits.
At the ranch’s first two family days visitors will meet the pups and other resident wolves, tigers, and bears. Some lucky kids will even get to hold and pet the pups.
“They get a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we get a domestic wolf,” Basile said.
The Children’s Farm at The Center in Palos Heights is open for weekend self-guided tours from 1 to 4 p.m., where there should be plenty of springtime babies about, said program manager Amy DiDominicis.
The Children’s Farm was expecting bunnies, chicks, lambs and piglets by Easter, with more to come by May. Bunnies and chicks are bred onsite, and other animals, such as goats, are brought in from other farms, she said. Visitors may pet or groom or hold many of the animals.
At the Brookfield Zoo, there are a number of animals expecting babies this spring, said Bill Zeigler, senior vice president of animal programs for the Chicago Zoological Society. Often these are part of national programs to save threatened and endangered species.
In early March, two binturongs were born, which are “very cute animals. … We will leave them alone until Mom is ready to bring them into the habitat,” Zeigler said, so visitors will likely get a glimpse of the babies in late April, when there will be four generations of the Southeast Asian native animals living the zoo. Binturongs are also called bearcats, though they are not related to the bear or the cat.
One of the gorillas is expecting, too, Ziegler said, and the baby will immediately become part of the exhibit.
“It may be tough to see at first, because she keeps (her baby) wrapped in her arms,” Ziegler said. “It never leaves the mom’s side.”
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The Living Coast habitat will soon welcome a Humboldt penguin chick who was born in February and is currently being cared for by zoo staff behind the scenes.
The zoo has also paired up Amur leopards, so Zeigler has his fingers crossed that Amur cubs will be born mid-summer. “By the time the cubs — we hope cubs — are stable, it will be August,” when they are out in public, he said.
Visitors should watch for signs throughout the zoo that note the newcomers, as some might not be easy to spot. When birds hatch, for instance, they’re often hidden in their nests, until they emerge nearly adult-sized. The Feathers and Scales habitat should soon be home to newly hatched spotted turtles, a protected species that is found in only two places in the wild in Illinois, including Lockport.
“We’re here to conserve the species,” Ziegler said. “It’s always brand new. It’s always exciting.”
Paige Fumo Fox is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Big Run Wolf Ranch
What: Opening day
When: 10 a.m. April 21
Where: 14857 Farrell Road, Lockport; 815-588-0044; bigrunwolfranch.org
Cost: $6 per person
Etc: The first family day of the year will feature special guests Jim Nesci’s Cold Blooded Creatures and the ranch’s wolf pups. Wolf presentations are at 10:45 a.m. and 2 p.m., with presentations from the Cold Blooded Creatures, big cats, and bears in between. Check for schedule, parking information, and future family days. The May 12 family day includes visiting animals from the Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary. Check the website for more information on future family days and camping opportunities.
Brookfield Zoo
Where: 8400 W. 31st St., Brookfield
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends
Information: 708-688-8000; brookfieldzoo.org
Admission: $14.95 to $21.95 plus parking; see website for online, military, or other discounts. Watch for information about zoo events, and find video of the new baby Humboldt penguin who is expected to make a public debut soon.
The Children’s Farm at The Center
Where: 12700 Southwest Highway, Palos Park
When: 1 to 4 p.m. weekends through November. See the website for special events later in the season and for children’s programs and camps.
Admission: $6 for ages 2 and older.
Information: 708-361-3650; thecenterpalos.org