What to Know
- The Gibbon Conservation Center in Santa Clarita
- The youngster was born to Astrics on March 25, 2022
- Weekend tours begin at 10 a.m. and require advance booking; $18 adult, $12 seniors, $15 teenagers and students, $7 children,
WHEN SPRING HAS SPRUNG? Our fancies turn immediately to blooming flowers, outdoor activities, longer days, and animal babies. In fact, we want to see the furry, whiskery, super-downy infants of the season moments after spring starts, and checking out the social feeds of farms, animal parks, and places that care for critters begins moments after the vernal equinox has commenced. Good news: This spring has had a bounty of animal babies, from lambs to chicks, and in Santa Clarita? One adorable youngster made her delightful debut on March 25, just a few days after the season officially began. Even sweeter? You can go see this aww-some superstar, a northern white-cheeked gibbon, by booking a ticket to a weekend tour at the Gibbon Conservation Center in Santa Clarita.
MEET MS. RODERICK, a beautiful bambino born to Astrics near the end of March 2022. The center reveals that the baby is "very alert" and "strong," and her big sister is already longing to interact with the lil' cutie (so heart-tugging: Mom Astrics "allows her to gently touch and groom the baby"). The namesake for this charmer? Chris Roderick, a cherished part of the Gibbon Conservation Center community. The board member passed away in 2021, and little Ms. Roderick's perfect name was chosen in loving tribute to Chris Roderick's legacy. You can read more about the baby's birth, which is also a heart-tugger of a tale, here. The page also has information on how to donate to Ms. Roderick's baby "shower" and how you can help the venerable center continue to help these amazing endangered apes thrive.
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