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  • This adorable calf has made history after becoming the first ever Indian rhino to be born using artificial insemination. Akuti, a seven-year-old Greater One Horned Indian Rhinoceros, gave birth at approximately 12.30am on Tuesday April 23. According to delighted zoo staff, it is the first ever birth of the species by induced ovulation and artificial insemination. Amazingly, the youngster appears to be in excellent health and these adorable images capture the scientific marvel taking its first ever steps as it wobbles around its enclosure. According to zoo officials, natural breeding wasn't working, so an expert team of animal reproductive specialists from the South East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction and Conservation, which focuses on endangered species, were brought in to help the birth along. The crew artificially collected semen from the father, Suru, on Jan. 8, 2018. The following day they artificially inseminated the mother. Once the team of experts had confirmed that Akuti was pregnant, she was trained to receive regular ultrasound examinations. This helped the staff monitor the development of the baby. Because the exact date of conception was known, they were able to accurately estimate the birth date. Zoo Spokesperson Ron Magill said: “With the artificial insemination, we had to first collect the semen from the male. Once that was done, we had to immobilize the female so that there would be no danger to the veterinarians who then carefully used an instrument that is inserted vaginally and placed up against the cervix where the semen is then deposited,” he said. “The challenge is that it has to be timed precisely to her ovulation which was also induced. As it turned out, our timing was perfect.”. 25 Apr 2019 Pictured: Historic Indian rhino born using artificial insemination at Zoo Miami. Photo credit: Ron Magill/ Zoo Miami / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342
    MEGA405254_001.jpg
  • Meet the BingwaBunch - a record-breaking litter of cheetah cubs who have just turned one. The five girls and four boys are named for the numbers one through eight in Swahili: Moja, Mbili, Tatu, Nne, Tano, Sita, Saba, and Nane. Born on November 26, 2017, the eight cubs were the largest litter ever raised by a cheetah in an American Zoo. The average litter size is just three. The eight cubs, who are now almost fully grown, are known as the BingwaBunch after their adoring mother Bingwa, while their father is called Jason. Despite the daunting task of raising eight boisterous cubs, Bingwa and Jason have excelled as parents, and, along with the help of keepers at Saint Louis Zoo, they have managed to raise a healthy set of octuplets. The cubs now spend their days playing in their stunning enclosure as the lucky staff has the pleasure of witnessing their personalities emerge. Steve Bircher, Curator of Mammals, said: "We have a couple that might be bolder than others with the way they play with their enrichment or the way they chase one and other. We are starting to see these difference in personalities. Just like us, they have distinct personalities." Now, to mark their first birthday, the Saint Louis Zoo has released these stunning images, which chart the early life of this unique litter of cheetahs. ***Please note, must credit Saint Louis Zoo***. 27 Nov 2018 Pictured: The BingwaBunch the largest litter of cheetah cubs in North America Born at St Louis Zoo. Photo credit: Saint Louis Zoo / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342
    MEGA314269_027.jpg
  • September 30, 2018 - Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand - A seal show close to an aquarium glass as visitors gather for a closer look following a Seal show at Dusit Zoo in Bangkok, Thailand, 30 September 2018. Dusit Zoo is Thailand's first public zoo opened 80 years ago on 18 March 1938 located on a land under royal property will be closed at the end of 30 August 2018 with all animals being transferred to provincial zoos, before relocating them to a new zoo in Pathum Thani province. (Credit Image: © Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto/ZUMA Press)
    20180930_zaa_n230_232.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - SIMBA is carried from the zoo by members of Four Paws International, an Austria headquartered animal rescue organization. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_017.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - Romanian Veterinarian OVIDIU ROSU shoots a tranquilizer dart at SIMBA, a 3 year old male African Lion at the Mosul Zoo. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_001.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - SIMBA lies tranquilized while awaiting transfer to a cage that will carry him from the Mosul Zoo. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_011.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - SIMBA is loaded by crane onto a flatbed truck before evacuation from the Mosul Zoo. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_026.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - LULA is transferred to her cage during the rescue from the Mosul Zoo. Mosul, Iraq. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_016.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - Members of Four Paws International transfer LULA from the Mosul Zoo during the evacuation. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_015.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - A group of boys peer over the fence of the zoo during the rescue. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_007.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - DR. OVIDIU ROSU secures LULA on the truck before the Four Paws International team evacuates from the zoo. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_025.jpg
  • May 6, 2017 - A baby giraffe was born at the Dhaka Zoo today, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, May 6, 2017. Two different baby giraffe was born at the Dhaka Zoo on this week, which is the second incident of giving birth to a giraffe calf at Dhaka zoo. The first incident was occurred at 2013. (Credit Image: © Suvra Kanti Das via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170506_zap_d117_001.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - Egyptian Veterinarian DR. AMIR KHALIL performs an oral examination on SIMBA. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_009.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - LULA and SIMBA in their cages while the veterinarians wait for the drugs to take effect. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_005.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - DR. OVIDIU ROSU covers the eyes of SIMBA to help calm him during his examination. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_008.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - LULA, A Syrian Brown Bear is examined by Veterinarians from Four Paws International. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_012.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - Accompanied by DR. KHALIL, LULA is moved by crane to a flatbed truck during the evacuation. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_019.jpg
  • March 30, 2017 - Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq - SIMBA lies tranquilized while DR. KHALIL performs an examination on LULA. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_010.jpg
  • April 04, 2017 - Bartella, Nineveh Province, Iraq - SIMBA inside of his cage later on the night of the rescue, March 30, 2017, outside of the city of Mosul. A lion and a bear, just rescued from Mosul’s zoo, are prepared to fly to safety outside Iraq and into Erbil, Kurdistan. The two animals nearly starved to death in their cages while battle raged around them in the Iraqi city earlier this year. Several other animals at the zoo died from neglect but these two were finally rescued by the animal charity Four Paws. (Credit Image: © Gabriel Romero via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170330_zap_r134_024.jpg
  • August 4, 2017 - Jakarta, West Java, Indonesia - Veterinarians and keepers sunning two Bengal Tiger cubs at the Bandung Zoo, Bandung, West Java, on August 4, 2017. A couples of Bengal Tigers, Sylla (8) and Sahrukh Khan (15) at Bandung Zoo gave birth a couple of Bengal Tiger cubs with their own weight 4,5 kg (male) and 4,9 (female) on June 25. The Bengal tiger is one of five extinct species of tiger. One of the causes is the shrinkage of tiger habitat in the Sundarbans mangrove forest area due to sea waters flood caused by the impact of global warming. (Credit Image: © Aditya Irawan/NurPhoto via ZUMA Press)
    20170804_zaa_n230_001.jpg
  • September 6, 2017 - Madrid, Madrid, Spain - Mayra, a 7 years-old female of Koala pictured resting in her enclosure at Madrid zoo. Because the eucalyptus diet has limited nutritional and caloric content, koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are largely sedentary and sleep for up to 20 hours a day. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
    20170906_zaa_p133_204.jpg
  • It has been reported today that three teenage gorillas, Kiondo, Kivu and N'Dowe have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to their enclosure at Paignton Zoo. These pictures show th gorillas in the enclosure in June 2017.<br />
<br />
3 July 2017.<br />
<br />
Please byline: Vantagenews.com
    VN_Gorillas_at_Paignt_768-4.jpg
  • It has been reported today that three teenage gorillas, Kiondo, Kivu and N'Dowe have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to their enclosure at Paignton Zoo. These pictures show th gorillas in the enclosure in June 2017.<br />
<br />
3 July 2017.<br />
<br />
Please byline: Vantagenews.com
    VN_Gorillas_at_Paignt_768-3.jpg
  • It has been reported today that three teenage gorillas, Kiondo, Kivu and N'Dowe have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to their enclosure at Paignton Zoo. These pictures show th gorillas in the enclosure in June 2017.<br />
<br />
3 July 2017.<br />
<br />
Please byline: Vantagenews.com
    VN_Gorillas_at_Paignt_768-2.jpg
  • It has been reported today that three teenage gorillas, Kiondo, Kivu and N'Dowe have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to their enclosure at Paignton Zoo. These pictures show th gorillas in the enclosure in June 2017.<br />
<br />
3 July 2017.<br />
<br />
Please byline: Vantagenews.com
    VN_Gorillas_at_Paignt_76826.jpg
  • It has been reported today that three teenage gorillas, Kiondo, Kivu and N'Dowe have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to their enclosure at Paignton Zoo. These pictures show th gorillas in the enclosure in June 2017.<br />
<br />
3 July 2017.<br />
<br />
Please byline: Vantagenews.com
    VN_Gorillas_at_Paignt_768-6.jpg
  • It has been reported today that three teenage gorillas, Kiondo, Kivu and N'Dowe have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to their enclosure at Paignton Zoo. These pictures show th gorillas in the enclosure in June 2017.<br />
<br />
3 July 2017.<br />
<br />
Please byline: Vantagenews.com
    VN_Gorillas_at_Paignt_768-5.jpg
  • March 22, 2019 - Gdansk, Pomerania, Poland - In Gdansk Zoo a unique white penguin has hatched out. Worldwide unique African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is an albinos and has amazing white feathering. (Credit Image: © Mateusz Slodkowski/ZUMA Wire)
    20190322_zip_s227_001.jpg
  • It has been reported today that three teenage gorillas, Kiondo, Kivu and N'Dowe have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to their enclosure at Paignton Zoo. These pictures show th gorillas in the enclosure in June 2017.<br />
<br />
3 July 2017.<br />
<br />
Please byline: Vantagenews.com
    VN_Gorillas_at_Paignt_768-1.jpg
  • It has been reported today that three teenage gorillas, Kiondo, Kivu and N'Dowe have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to their enclosure at Paignton Zoo. These pictures show th gorillas in the enclosure in June 2017.<br />
<br />
3 July 2017.<br />
<br />
Please byline: Vantagenews.com
    VN_Gorillas_at_Paignt_76825.jpg
  • June 7, 2017 - Madrid, Spain - Several specimens of Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus truncatus) pictured during a show at Madrid Zoo and Aquarium. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
    20170607_zaa_p133_158.jpg
  • July 26, 2018 - Madrid, Madrid, Spain - The baby Persian leopard pictured in his enclosure at Madrid zoo. He born on last April, 2018, after of 3 months of gestation, weighing about 0.5 kilograms. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
    20180726_zaa_p133_254.jpg
  • April 24, 2018 - Shenyan, China - An adorable Siberian tiger cub at a zoo in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. (Credit Image: © SIPA Asia via ZUMA Wire)
    20180424_zaa_s145_023.jpg
  • January 2, 2018 - Kyiv, Ukraine - A husky puppy bites a hand of a woman at a petting zoo at the Spivoche Pole of the Pecherskyi Landscape Park, Kyiv, capital of Ukraine, January 2, 2018. Ukrinform. (Credit Image: © Ovsyannikova Yulia/Ukrinform via ZUMA Wire)
    20180102_zaa_u101_001.jpg
  • August 4, 2017 - Lalitpur, Nepal - A baby Langur sits beside another inside their enclosure at a zoo in Lalitpur, Nepal on Friday, August 04, 2017. (Credit Image: © Skanda Gautam via ZUMA Wire)
    20170804_zap_g200_001.jpg
  • July 20, 2017 - Madrid, Madrid, Spain - A Brown bear pictured waiting for food at Madrid zoo. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
    20170720_zaa_p133_094.jpg
  • May 27, 2017 - Turin, Italy - A national demonstration is developed for protesting against the reopening of the zoo called ''Zoom'' to Turin (Credit Image: © Daniela Parra Saiani/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
    20170527_zaa_p133_572.jpg
  • November 22, 2018 - London, London, UK - London, UK. Two year old Lily Tang views a pair of kangaroo shaped lights showing as part of the new ZSL London Zoo Christmas light trail, experiencing the landmark London location in a different light. (Credit Image: © Ray Tang/London News Pictures via ZUMA Wire)
    20181122_zaf_l94_034.jpg
  • October 8, 2018 - Madrid, Madrid, Spain - A specimen of Leopard (Panthera pardus) pictured in his enclosure at Madrid zoo. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
    20181008_zaa_p133_095.jpg
  • South Africa – Johannesburg – Animal welfare at the Joburg zoo. Following many concerns about wildlife animals at the zoo on social media, we pay the zoo a visit to check up on their daily operation and though the staff rotate to maintain lock down regulation and social distance we found that the animal are not neglected by staff however miss visitors as a result Animals of the Amazon aquarium . Picture: Timothy Bernard/African news Agency(ANA)
    Animal-at-Joburg-Zoo---9-.JPG
  • South Africa – Johannesburg – Animal welfare at the Joburg zoo. Following many concerns about wildlife animals at the zoo on social media, we pay the zoo a visit to check up on their daily operation and though the staff rotate to maintain lock down regulation and social distance we found that the animal are not neglected by staff however miss visitors as a result. Elephant Lammie and Mopani   . Picture: Timothy Bernard/African news Agency(ANA)
    Animal-at-Joburg-Zoo---1-.JPG
  • South Africa – Johannesburg – Animal welfare at the Joburg zoo. Following many concerns about wildlife animals at the zoo on social media, we pay the zoo a visit to check up on their daily operation and though the staff rotate to maintain lock down regulation and social distance we found that the animal are not neglected by staff however miss visitors as a result. One of the staff Richard gives carrots to some of the giraffes who eat out of his hands.<br />
 Picture: Timothy Bernard/African news Agency(ANA)
    Animal-at-Joburg-Zoo---7---1-.JPG
  • March 22, 2019 - Gdansk, Pomerania, Poland - Entrance to the zoo seen during the press conference..In Gdansk Zoo appeared a new inhabitant. Worldwide unique African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is an albinos and has amazing white feathering. This bird usually has black surface of the body with clear white brow and can be up to 63cm tall. The penguin was presented on a specially convened press conference at the Zoo. (Credit Image: © SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire)
    20190322_zaa_s197_063.jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE: A male gorilla named Louis has captivated the world by walking upright on two legs at The Philadelphia Zoo. Keepers say that the 18 year-old lowland gorilla walks upright when he is carrying food, presumably to keep it all clean. The Philadelphia zoo is the oldest Zoo in the United States, it July 1, 1874 when the US was not even 100 years old. Louis's born on May 12 1999 at the St. Louis Zoo and brought to Philly in 2004. He is almost 6' high and 470 lb. 19 Mar 2018 Pictured: Louis. Photo credit: MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342
    MEGA185940_007.jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE: A male gorilla named Louis has captivated the world by walking upright on two legs at The Philadelphia Zoo. Keepers say that the 18 year-old lowland gorilla walks upright when he is carrying food, presumably to keep it all clean. The Philadelphia zoo is the oldest Zoo in the United States, it July 1, 1874 when the US was not even 100 years old. Louis's born on May 12 1999 at the St. Louis Zoo and brought to Philly in 2004. He is almost 6' high and 470 lb. 19 Mar 2018 Pictured: Louis. Photo credit: MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342
    MEGA185940_022.jpg
  • August 4, 2017 - Bandung, Java, Indonesia - 39-day Bengal tigers babies were introduced to the public at Bandung Zoo, West Java, in August 4.2017. Two Bengal tigers born in Bandung Zoo are born from a parent couple named Shilla (8) and Shahruk Khan (15) is a successful breeding process of animals, especially in the Indian country of Bengal tiger is increasingly scarce due to hunting and conflict with humans. (Credit Image: © Dasril Roszandi/NurPhoto via ZUMA Press)
    20170804_zaa_n230_011.jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE: Serena Williams, her husband Alexis Ohanian and their two year old daughter Alexis Olympia, along with Serena's mother Oracene Price visiting Auckland zoo in New Zealand on Sunday, January 5. It was the day Auckland was hit by smoke drifting across the Tasman sea from the Australian bush fires, turning the summer sky dark and red, which Serena and Alexis can be seen looking up at when they left their city centre hotel. Serena was forced to wrap up against unseasonably cold weather, which she complained about on her only previous visit to Auckland in 2017. Serena said before her zoo trip on Sunday that her daughter "loves to see animals". She had taken her to Auckland's undersea aquarium, Kelly Tarlton's, the previous day. The superstar had a face like thunder most of the afternoon and even took a long rest in her daughter's pushchair at one point, engrossed in her phone while her husband took charge of Olympia. The 38-year-old 23-time Grand Slam champion plays her first competitive match in three months on Tuesday against two-time former Australian Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova. Pics are available immediately excluding New Zealand. 05 Jan 2020 Pictured: Serena Williams, Alexis Ohanian, Alexis Olympia. Photo credit: MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342
    MEGA578029_038.jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE: Serena Williams, her husband Alexis Ohanian and their two year old daughter Alexis Olympia, along with Serena's mother Oracene Price visiting Auckland zoo in New Zealand on Sunday, January 5. It was the day Auckland was hit by smoke drifting across the Tasman sea from the Australian bush fires, turning the summer sky dark and red, which Serena and Alexis can be seen looking up at when they left their city centre hotel. Serena was forced to wrap up against unseasonably cold weather, which she complained about on her only previous visit to Auckland in 2017. Serena said before her zoo trip on Sunday that her daughter "loves to see animals". She had taken her to Auckland's undersea aquarium, Kelly Tarlton's, the previous day. The superstar had a face like thunder most of the afternoon and even took a long rest in her daughter's pushchair at one point, engrossed in her phone while her husband took charge of Olympia. The 38-year-old 23-time Grand Slam champion plays her first competitive match in three months on Tuesday against two-time former Australian Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova. Pics are available immediately excluding New Zealand. 05 Jan 2020 Pictured: Serena Williams, Alexis Ohanian, Alexis Olympia. Photo credit: MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342
    MEGA578029_017.jpg
  • June 7, 2017 - Madrid, Spain - The baby female elephant pictured at Madrid zoo. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
    20170607_zaa_p133_156.jpg
  • April 26, 2018 - Shenyan, Shenyan, China - Shenyang, CHINA-26th April 2018:The panda Pupu plays at Shenyang Forest Zoo in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, April 27th, 2018. The panda Pupu is identified as female panda by mistake at the beginning. The zoo keeper made another check-up of the panda Pupu this April and found that it was a male panda. (Credit Image: © SIPA Asia via ZUMA Wire)
    20180426_zaa_s145_301.jpg
  • March 24, 2016 - Jerusalem, Israel - The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo welcomes two newborn South African giraffe calves (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) into the African animals enclosure open for public viewing. Adis, male, two weeks old, was born to mother Akea, and Rotem, female, one month old, was born to mother Yasmin. The calves are second generation Jerusalem born to grandparents purchased in an auction from South Africa. Rio, male, fathered both calves. (Credit Image: © Nir Alon via ZUMA Wire)
    20160324_zap_a126_011.jpg
  • March 24, 2016 - Jerusalem, Israel - Father, Rio, strategically places himself between visitors and his newly enlarged family as the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo welcomes two newborn South African giraffe calves (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) into the African animals enclosure open for public viewing. Adis, male, two weeks old, was born to mother Akea, and Rotem, female, one month old, was born to mother Yasmin. The calves are second generation Jerusalem born to grandparents purchased in an auction from South Africa. Rio, male, fathered both calves. (Credit Image: © Nir Alon via ZUMA Wire)
    20160324_zap_a126_016.jpg
  • March 24, 2016 - Jerusalem, Israel - Father, Rio, strategically places himself between visitors and his newly enlarged family as the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo welcomes two newborn South African giraffe calves (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) into the African animals enclosure open for public viewing. Adis, male, two weeks old, was born to mother Akea, and Rotem, female, one month old, was born to mother Yasmin. The calves are second generation Jerusalem born to grandparents purchased in an auction from South Africa. Rio, male, fathered both calves. (Credit Image: © Nir Alon via ZUMA Wire)
    20160324_zap_a126_014.jpg
  • March 24, 2016 - Jerusalem, Israel - Father, Rio, strategically places himself between visitors and his newly enlarged family as the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo welcomes two newborn South African giraffe calves (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) into the African animals enclosure open for public viewing. Adis, male, two weeks old, was born to mother Akea, and Rotem, female, one month old, was born to mother Yasmin. The calves are second generation Jerusalem born to grandparents purchased in an auction from South Africa. Rio, male, fathered both calves. (Credit Image: © Nir Alon via ZUMA Wire)
    20160324_zap_a126_016.jpg
  • March 24, 2016 - Jerusalem, Israel - Father, Rio, strategically places himself between visitors and his newly enlarged family as the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo welcomes two newborn South African giraffe calves (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) into the African animals enclosure open for public viewing. Adis, male, two weeks old, was born to mother Akea, and Rotem, female, one month old, was born to mother Yasmin. The calves are second generation Jerusalem born to grandparents purchased in an auction from South Africa. Rio, male, fathered both calves. (Credit Image: © Nir Alon via ZUMA Wire)
    20160324_zap_a126_014.jpg
  • March 24, 2016 - Jerusalem, Israel - The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo welcomes two newborn South African giraffe calves (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) into the African animals enclosure open for public viewing. Adis, male, two weeks old, was born to mother Akea, and Rotem, female, one month old, was born to mother Yasmin. The calves are second generation Jerusalem born to grandparents purchased in an auction from South Africa. Rio, male, fathered both calves. (Credit Image: © Nir Alon via ZUMA Wire)
    20160324_zap_a126_011.jpg
  • June 22, 2017 - Madrid, Madrid, Spain - An Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) pictured cooling off with water at Madrid zoo, where high temperatures reached up to 39ºC during the afternoon hours. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
    20170622_zaa_p133_194.jpg
  • June 13, 2017 - Madrid, Madrid, Spain - A Lar gibbon pictured in his enclosure at Madrid zoo. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
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  • April 3, 2017 - Madrid, Madrid, Spain - The newborn Sumatran elephant, left, pictured playing with the 5 months old baby Pilar at Madrid zoo. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz GarcíA/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170403_zaa_p133_061.jpg
  • April 17, 2018 - Madrid, Madrid, Spain - The baby Bornean orangutan 'Sabah' pictured playing with a blanket at Madrid zoo, where high temperatures reached up 23º degrees during the afternoon hours. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
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  • February 5, 2018 - Madrid, Madrid, Spain - A Olive baboon (Papions anubis) stands in the snow at Madrid zoo. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
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  • August 26, 2017 - Prague, Czech Republic - Female Cheetah Savannah and her five cubs, born on May, 2017, explore their enclosure in Zoo Prague, Czech Republic, August 26, 2017. (Credit Image: © Michal Dolezal/CTK via ZUMA Press)
    RTI20170826_zaa_c130_082.jpg
  • June 24, 2017 - Berlin, Germany - Panda Jiao Qing behind a glass disc at the Berlin airport Schönefeld. (Credit Image: © Simone Kuhlmey/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170624_zaa_p133_158.jpg
  • August 26, 2017 - Prague, Czech Republic - Female Cheetah Savannah and her five cubs, born on May, 2017, explore their enclosure in Zoo Prague, Czech Republic, August 26, 2017. (Credit Image: © Michal Dolezal/CTK via ZUMA Press)
    RTI20170826_zaa_c130_091 (1).jpg
  • March 31, 2019 - Beijing, Beijing, China - Beijing, CHINA-The adorable giant panda can be seen at Beijing Zoo in Beijing, China. (Credit Image: © SIPA Asia via ZUMA Wire)
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  • November 10, 2018 - Weihai, Weihai, China - Weihai,CHINA-Monkeys can be seen at Shendiao Hill Zoo in Weihai, east China’s Shandong Province. (Credit Image: © SIPA Asia via ZUMA Wire)
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  • November 1, 2018 - Xining, Xining, China - Xining,CHINA-Animals ‘enjoy’ Halloween at Xining Wildlife Zoo in Xining, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Credit Image: © SIPA Asia via ZUMA Wire)
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  • June 8, 2017 - Kolkata, India - Burmese pythons  at the Alipore Zoological garden in  Eastern India city Kolkata on June 8, 2017. This is the first time reticulated and Burmese pythons have been artificialy bred and successfully hatched at the zoo. (Credit Image: © Debajyoti Chakraborty/NurPhoto via ZUMA Press)
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  • May 7, 2017 - Kolkata, India - A  Tiger beats the heat in a creek on a hot summer day at alipore Zoo in Kolkata city in India, on May 07,2017 in Kolkata,India. (Credit Image: © Debajyoti Chakraborty/NurPhoto via ZUMA Press)
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  • April 26, 2018 - Shenyan, Shenyan, China - Shenyang, CHINA-26th April 2018: White rhinos at Shenyang Forest Zoo in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, April 26th, 2018. The Northern White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) is the rarest and most endangered subspecies, and probably extinct in the wild. (Credit Image: © SIPA Asia via ZUMA Wire)
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  • Geoffrey Lemu of Kariobangi Sharks in action against Zoo FC during their Sportpesa Premier League tie at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi on July 30, 2017. They drew 1-1. Photo/Fredrick Omondi/www.pic-centre.com(KENYA)
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  • Bernard Odhiambo of Zoo FC in action against Kariobangi Sharks during their Sportpesa Premier League tie at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi on July 30, 2017. They drew 1-1. Photo/Fredrick Omondi/www.pic-centre.com(KENYA)
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  • Nicholas Kipkirui of Zoo FC in action against Kariobangi Sharks during their Sportpesa Premier League tie at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi on July 30, 2017. They drew 1-1. Photo/Fredrick Omondi/www.pic-centre.com(KENYA)
    Image_3569_0.jpg
  • Geoffrey Lemu (L) of Kariobangi Sharks in action against Kepha Ondati of Zoo FC during their Sportpesa Premier League tie at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi on July 30, 2017. They drew 1-1. Photo/Fredrick Omondi/www.pic-centre.com(KENYA)
    Image_3398.jpg
  • Danson Namasakha of Zoo FC celebrates after scoring against Kariobangi Sharks during their Sportpesa Premier League tie at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi on July 30, 2017. They drew 1-1. Photo/Fredrick Omondi/www.pic-centre.com(KENYA)
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  • Keeper Vincent Misikhu of Zoo Fc in action against Kariobangi Sharks during their Sportpesa Premier League tie at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi on July 30, 2017. They drew 1-1. Photo/Fredrick Omondi/www.pic-centre.com(KENYA)
    Image_3148_0.jpg
  • Geoffrey Lemu (L) of Kariobangi Sharks in aerial tackle against Benard Odhiambo of Zoo FC during their Sportpesa Premier League tie at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi on July 30, 2017. They drew 1-1. Photo/Fredrick Omondi/www.pic-centre.com(KENYA)
    Image_3229_0.jpg
  • Gigi Hadid hangs out with friends backstage at Coachella . 14 Apr 2019 Pictured: Gigi Hadid. Photo credit: Marksman / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342
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  • Gigi Hadid hangs out with friends backstage at Coachella . 14 Apr 2019 Pictured: Gigi Hadid. Photo credit: Marksman / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342
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  • Gigi Hadid hangs out with friends backstage at Coachella . 14 Apr 2019 Pictured: Gigi Hadid. Photo credit: Marksman / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342
    MEGA400161_007.jpg
  • Gigi Hadid hangs out with friends backstage at Coachella . 14 Apr 2019 Pictured: Gigi Hadid. Photo credit: Marksman / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342
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  • September 15, 2016 - Kiev, Ukraine - The premiere of a new international program of the National Circus of Ukraine ''Extreme Arena' (Credit Image: © Nazar Furyk via ZUMA Wire)
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  • August 27, 2017 - Ramat Gan, Israel - Niv, a female, four year old Sulawesi Crested Macaque, demonstrates her maternal instincts with the adoption of a chick, which has entered the enclosure shared by Niv and her mother, Nati, at the Safari Zoological Center. Niv has been spotted hugging, grooming and feeding the chick, while the chick runs to her arms when startled and seeking security. The Sulawesi Crested Macaque, from the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, is critically endangered with only about 6,000 individuals in the wild. (Credit Image: © Nir Alon via ZUMA Wire)
    20170827_zap_a126_001.jpg
  • September 15, 2016 - Kiev, Ukraine - The premiere of a new international program of the National Circus of Ukraine ''Extreme Arena' (Credit Image: © Nazar Furyk via ZUMA Wire)
    20160915_zap_f321_041.JPG
  • September 15, 2016 - Kiev, Ukraine - The premiere of a new international program of the National Circus of Ukraine ''Extreme Arena' (Credit Image: © Nazar Furyk via ZUMA Wire)
    20160915_zap_f321_037.JPG
  • September 15, 2016 - Kiev, Ukraine - The premiere of a new international program of the National Circus of Ukraine ''Extreme Arena' (Credit Image: © Nazar Furyk via ZUMA Wire)
    20160915_zap_f321_036.JPG
  • September 15, 2016 - Kiev, Ukraine - An animal worker intimately feeds a lion during the premiere of a new international program of the National Circus of Ukraine called 'Extreme Arena.' (Credit Image: © Nazar Furyk via ZUMA Wire)
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  • EXCLUSIVE: A rescued pair of twin bear sisters forced to perform in a circus all their lives have experienced a freedom for the first time in 24 YEARS. Dasha and Katia were just weeks old when they were taken from their mother and sold to a circus in Ukraine. Since then all the sisters have known is training and performing up to three shows a day. When not doing tricks like riding bicycles and jumping through hoops for a paying audience, the 400lb plus animals were kept in tiny 1.5m cages. They were behind bars just inches from one another but could never touch. But now after a quarter of a century in captivity the two bears can sleep under the stars for the first time in the stunning forest-filled Libearty (correct spelling) Bear Sanctuary, in Zarnesti, Romania. Heart-warming footage and photos taken this week show the animals rolling around in the grass with joy and being able to nuzzle and bear hug one another for the first time. The bears arrival in Romania was only made possible thanks to Lionel De Lange, from the Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization (LAEO) Ukraine, and Chantal Jonkergouw and Carolyn Green, from SOS Zoo and Bear Rescue. Lionel and Chantal and their supporters raised £14,000, including donations from the UK, to rescue the animals in March and then transport, medically check and care for the them before they were released on Wednesday. Lionel de Lange, from LAEO Ukraine, said the sisters, who were originally known as Masha and Lora, had proper contact with each other for the first time. He said: “This was one the most emotional rescues we’ve done, if you can imagine it’s 24 years of these bears never having proper contact with each other, they were always in separate cages. “And when they were close to each other in the cages they had aggression, not with each other but with bars between them. They always seemed angry at one another. “But then when they let them out at Libearty they had a snuggle and a cuddle and it was just amazing to
    MEGA527541_002.jpg
  • January 3, 2018 - Poznan, Wielkopolska, Poland - January 3, 2018 - Poznan, Poland - Zoo is 142 years old and is one of the oldest zoological gardens in Poland. There are old pieces of equipment in it, but currently the Zoo is undergoing a gradual renovation. In the picture: rope park decoration. (Credit Image: © Dawid Tatarkiewicz via ZUMA Wire)
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  • August  3, 2017 - Chongqing, china - YIN YANQIANG feeds a giant panda with apple at Chongqing Zoo. Yanqiang, technical director of giant panda house of Chongqing Zoo, is called Dad of Pandas.' He has been working here for 4 years since he graduated from the Institute of Zoology of Chinese Academy of Science. (Credit Image: © Wang Quanchao/Xinhua via ZUMA Wire)
    20170803_zaf_x99_108.jpg
  • Dec. 18, 2012 - London, United Kingdom - A lemur looks over a Christmas stocking at Whipsnade Zoo, North of London, UK. (Credit Image: © Max  Nash/i-Images via ZUMA Press)
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  • August 28, 2017 - Madrid, Madrid, Spain - A Jacobin pigeon, soaked by rain, pictured at Madrid zoo. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
    RTI20170828_zaa_p133_162.jpg
  • July 19, 2017 - Madrid, Madrid, Spain - The female Iberian lynx Jazmín pictured in her enclosure at Madrid zoo. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
    20170719_zaa_p133_231.jpg
  • June 6, 2017 - Madrid, Spain - Beni, a male of White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum ), spends her first month at Madrid zoo. According her keepers, Beni has adapted perfectly to their enclosure. (Credit Image: © Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)
    20170606_zaa_p133_059.jpg
  • *PREMIUM EXCLUSIVE RATES. NO WEB UNTIL 18.45 BST MAY 15* Here’s royal bride-to-be Meghan Markle as the world has never seen her before. An incredible collection of 60 exclusive photographs offer a fascinating insight into the modest and ordinary childhood of the American woman who has captured the heart of Prince Harry. In one hilarious snap, Meghan, aged just five, is seen donning a crown as she imitates The Queen at a birthday party in Los Angeles. In another photo she is seen dressing up for Halloween as horror TV hostess Elvira complete with a black wig and dress while only seven-years-old. At the age of six she is seen posing with Mickey Mouse and other cartoon characters at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. Other photos show a teenage Meghan cuddling her father Thomas who will walk the 36-year-old actress down the aisle in a lavish ceremony at Windsor Castle. The photographs underline how Meghan’s life growing up with her mother Doria Ragland at the small two-bedroom, two-bathroom LA apartment is a far cry from the majesty and wealth of Britain’s Royal Family which will become her new life. A childhood friend said: “Meghan had the most normal upbringing you could imagine – but we always knew she was destined for great things. “Now she is set to live every girl’s dream and become a princess by marrying Prince Harry. “I am absolutely blown away that the ordinary little girl we knew growing up in a regular apartment in Southern California is going to be married to a member of the British Royal Family.” The friend recalled that curly-haired Meghan was just like any other kid growing up in the Mid-Wilshire area of LA and had friends from all races and background. “I think when she was growing up and around other kids she identified herself as African American,” said the friend. “Being bi-racial was never an issue for her. She didn’t know any difference and it was never a big thing for her. “I think it perhaps became more of an issue for her whe
    MEGA218658_011.jpg
  • *PREMIUM EXCLUSIVE RATES. NO WEB UNTIL 18.45 BST MAY 15* Here’s royal bride-to-be Meghan Markle as the world has never seen her before. An incredible collection of 60 exclusive photographs offer a fascinating insight into the modest and ordinary childhood of the American woman who has captured the heart of Prince Harry. In one hilarious snap, Meghan, aged just five, is seen donning a crown as she imitates The Queen at a birthday party in Los Angeles. In another photo she is seen dressing up for Halloween as horror TV hostess Elvira complete with a black wig and dress while only seven-years-old. At the age of six she is seen posing with Mickey Mouse and other cartoon characters at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. Other photos show a teenage Meghan cuddling her father Thomas who will walk the 36-year-old actress down the aisle in a lavish ceremony at Windsor Castle. The photographs underline how Meghan’s life growing up with her mother Doria Ragland at the small two-bedroom, two-bathroom LA apartment is a far cry from the majesty and wealth of Britain’s Royal Family which will become her new life. A childhood friend said: “Meghan had the most normal upbringing you could imagine – but we always knew she was destined for great things. “Now she is set to live every girl’s dream and become a princess by marrying Prince Harry. “I am absolutely blown away that the ordinary little girl we knew growing up in a regular apartment in Southern California is going to be married to a member of the British Royal Family.” The friend recalled that curly-haired Meghan was just like any other kid growing up in the Mid-Wilshire area of LA and had friends from all races and background. “I think when she was growing up and around other kids she identified herself as African American,” said the friend. “Being bi-racial was never an issue for her. She didn’t know any difference and it was never a big thing for her. “I think it perhaps became more of an issue for her whe
    MEGA218658_012.jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE: A rescued pair of twin bear sisters forced to perform in a circus all their lives have experienced a freedom for the first time in 24 YEARS. Dasha and Katia were just weeks old when they were taken from their mother and sold to a circus in Ukraine. Since then all the sisters have known is training and performing up to three shows a day. When not doing tricks like riding bicycles and jumping through hoops for a paying audience, the 400lb plus animals were kept in tiny 1.5m cages. They were behind bars just inches from one another but could never touch. But now after a quarter of a century in captivity the two bears can sleep under the stars for the first time in the stunning forest-filled Libearty (correct spelling) Bear Sanctuary, in Zarnesti, Romania. Heart-warming footage and photos taken this week show the animals rolling around in the grass with joy and being able to nuzzle and bear hug one another for the first time. The bears arrival in Romania was only made possible thanks to Lionel De Lange, from the Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization (LAEO) Ukraine, and Chantal Jonkergouw and Carolyn Green, from SOS Zoo and Bear Rescue. Lionel and Chantal and their supporters raised £14,000, including donations from the UK, to rescue the animals in March and then transport, medically check and care for the them before they were released on Wednesday. Lionel de Lange, from LAEO Ukraine, said the sisters, who were originally known as Masha and Lora, had proper contact with each other for the first time. He said: “This was one the most emotional rescues we’ve done, if you can imagine it’s 24 years of these bears never having proper contact with each other, they were always in separate cages. “And when they were close to each other in the cages they had aggression, not with each other but with bars between them. They always seemed angry at one another. “But then when they let them out at Libearty they had a snuggle and a cuddle and it was just amazing to
    MEGA527541_008.jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE: A rescued pair of twin bear sisters forced to perform in a circus all their lives have experienced a freedom for the first time in 24 YEARS. Dasha and Katia were just weeks old when they were taken from their mother and sold to a circus in Ukraine. Since then all the sisters have known is training and performing up to three shows a day. When not doing tricks like riding bicycles and jumping through hoops for a paying audience, the 400lb plus animals were kept in tiny 1.5m cages. They were behind bars just inches from one another but could never touch. But now after a quarter of a century in captivity the two bears can sleep under the stars for the first time in the stunning forest-filled Libearty (correct spelling) Bear Sanctuary, in Zarnesti, Romania. Heart-warming footage and photos taken this week show the animals rolling around in the grass with joy and being able to nuzzle and bear hug one another for the first time. The bears arrival in Romania was only made possible thanks to Lionel De Lange, from the Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization (LAEO) Ukraine, and Chantal Jonkergouw and Carolyn Green, from SOS Zoo and Bear Rescue. Lionel and Chantal and their supporters raised £14,000, including donations from the UK, to rescue the animals in March and then transport, medically check and care for the them before they were released on Wednesday. Lionel de Lange, from LAEO Ukraine, said the sisters, who were originally known as Masha and Lora, had proper contact with each other for the first time. He said: “This was one the most emotional rescues we’ve done, if you can imagine it’s 24 years of these bears never having proper contact with each other, they were always in separate cages. “And when they were close to each other in the cages they had aggression, not with each other but with bars between them. They always seemed angry at one another. “But then when they let them out at Libearty they had a snuggle and a cuddle and it was just amazing to
    MEGA527541_007.jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE: A rescued pair of twin bear sisters forced to perform in a circus all their lives have experienced a freedom for the first time in 24 YEARS. Dasha and Katia were just weeks old when they were taken from their mother and sold to a circus in Ukraine. Since then all the sisters have known is training and performing up to three shows a day. When not doing tricks like riding bicycles and jumping through hoops for a paying audience, the 400lb plus animals were kept in tiny 1.5m cages. They were behind bars just inches from one another but could never touch. But now after a quarter of a century in captivity the two bears can sleep under the stars for the first time in the stunning forest-filled Libearty (correct spelling) Bear Sanctuary, in Zarnesti, Romania. Heart-warming footage and photos taken this week show the animals rolling around in the grass with joy and being able to nuzzle and bear hug one another for the first time. The bears arrival in Romania was only made possible thanks to Lionel De Lange, from the Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization (LAEO) Ukraine, and Chantal Jonkergouw and Carolyn Green, from SOS Zoo and Bear Rescue. Lionel and Chantal and their supporters raised £14,000, including donations from the UK, to rescue the animals in March and then transport, medically check and care for the them before they were released on Wednesday. Lionel de Lange, from LAEO Ukraine, said the sisters, who were originally known as Masha and Lora, had proper contact with each other for the first time. He said: “This was one the most emotional rescues we’ve done, if you can imagine it’s 24 years of these bears never having proper contact with each other, they were always in separate cages. “And when they were close to each other in the cages they had aggression, not with each other but with bars between them. They always seemed angry at one another. “But then when they let them out at Libearty they had a snuggle and a cuddle and it was just amazing to
    MEGA527541_011.jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE: A rescued pair of twin bear sisters forced to perform in a circus all their lives have experienced a freedom for the first time in 24 YEARS. Dasha and Katia were just weeks old when they were taken from their mother and sold to a circus in Ukraine. Since then all the sisters have known is training and performing up to three shows a day. When not doing tricks like riding bicycles and jumping through hoops for a paying audience, the 400lb plus animals were kept in tiny 1.5m cages. They were behind bars just inches from one another but could never touch. But now after a quarter of a century in captivity the two bears can sleep under the stars for the first time in the stunning forest-filled Libearty (correct spelling) Bear Sanctuary, in Zarnesti, Romania. Heart-warming footage and photos taken this week show the animals rolling around in the grass with joy and being able to nuzzle and bear hug one another for the first time. The bears arrival in Romania was only made possible thanks to Lionel De Lange, from the Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization (LAEO) Ukraine, and Chantal Jonkergouw and Carolyn Green, from SOS Zoo and Bear Rescue. Lionel and Chantal and their supporters raised £14,000, including donations from the UK, to rescue the animals in March and then transport, medically check and care for the them before they were released on Wednesday. Lionel de Lange, from LAEO Ukraine, said the sisters, who were originally known as Masha and Lora, had proper contact with each other for the first time. He said: “This was one the most emotional rescues we’ve done, if you can imagine it’s 24 years of these bears never having proper contact with each other, they were always in separate cages. “And when they were close to each other in the cages they had aggression, not with each other but with bars between them. They always seemed angry at one another. “But then when they let them out at Libearty they had a snuggle and a cuddle and it was just amazing to
    MEGA527541_004.jpg
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