Baby aardvark named after Harry Potter character
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A baby aardvark has been born at Chester Zoo for the first time in their 90-year history.
Zookeepers were "overjoyed" to welcome the new arrival, who was found snuggled up to mum Oni and dad Koos after being born on 4 January.
The baby has been named Dobby, after the Harry Potter character, because it reminded keepers of the popular elf.
The aardvark calf has large droopy ears, hairless wrinkled skin and giant claws.
Dave White, team manager at the zoo said: "It's a momentous landmark for us and a real cause for celebration. We're overjoyed."
Baby aardvark, nicknamed Dobby, snuggled up to mum Oni
As soon as we spotted the new baby next to mum we noticed its uncanny resemblance to the Harry Potter character, Dobby, and so that's the calf's nickname for the time being! We won't though know for certain whether it's male or female for several more weeks until the calf is a little older.
Dave White, Team Manager at Chester Zoo
The baby aardvark is being looked after by the keepers
Mr White explained that aardvark parents are known for being a bit clumsy near their new-borns, so staff are keeping a close eye on the baby and helping with feedings at night, to make sure there aren't any accidental knocks or bumps.
"In the evening, when the parents are out exploring and feeding, we carefully place the calf into a special incubator and take it home to feed with warm milk every few hours.
"The calf then spends the daytime bonding and snuggled up with mum Oni inside her burrow - and they're both doing great together," said Mr White.
There are only 66 aardvarks in zoo across Europe and just 109 in zoos worldwide, so it's exciting for Chester Zoo to be one of a small number of zoos caring for the species.
The species is threatened in the wild by habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict and hunting.
Aardvark facts:
Aardvarks are native to sub-Saharan Africa
The word aardvark translates to "earth pig" in the language of Afrikaans
They are nocturnal animals and use their long noses and good sense of smell to sniff out ants and termites
Their long tongue, which can measure up to 25cm, is covered in sticky saliva to help lap up the ants
They also have powerful claws to tear open termite mounds and dig underground burrows where they live
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