Brookfield Zoo welcomed a baby aardvark to its family last month.
The calf, which made its media debut Wednesday, was born Jan. 12 weighing 4.5 pounds. The public won't get to see the zoo's new addition for several months, but zookeepers say the now-13-pound calf “has a bright future ahead of it.”
Still unnamed, the calf is being cared for by Animal Programs staff and mom Jessi, a 7-year-old aardvark.
Aardvarks are fragile during their first few weeks, the Chicago Zoological Society said in a statement, and need round-the-clock care.
The calf spent the majority of its first few weeks at the zoo’s Animal Hospital to ensure its best chance for survival, according to the Brookfield Zoo.
The zoo explains that since aardvarks are nocturnal animals, they do not interrupt the time Jessi needs to nurse her calf.
Since 1992, nine aardvarks have been born at Brookfield Zoo.
