Daily Animal Facts

On July 13, 2002, the San Diego Zoo celebrated a significant milestone for Hua Mei, the first giant panda cub successfully born in the United States to survive to adulthood. Hua Mei reached her 1000th day of life, a testament to the dedicated care and conservation efforts surrounding this endangered species. Her healthy development marked a turning point in panda breeding programs worldwide.

On July 12, 2024, Dan, a Newfoundland dog famed for his remarkable record of saving 27 lives while working as a volunteer lifeguard in Italy, celebrated his 14th birthday! Dan has an extraordinary talent for spotting struggling swimmers from a distance. He would then fearlessly plunge into the water and tow them back to shore. This year marks 5,110 days since Dan was born, continuing his legacy of inspiring both people and animals.

On July 11, 2014, conservationists fitted Satao, one of Africa's largest and most iconic elephants, with a GPS tracking collar in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya. This vital step in monitoring his movements and protecting him from poachers unfortunately proved insufficient, as he was killed shortly thereafter. While his death was tragic, the collaring effort allowed tracking of his movements for a brief period, which helped authorities understand his range and habits. Today, 10 years on, we remember Satao not just for his size, but the invaluable data his tracked movements contributed to elephant conservation efforts. While alive, Satao’s tusks were estimated to weigh over 50 kg (110 lbs) each, making the weight of tusks approximately equivalent to the weight of 25 newborns!

On July 10, 2018, a Portuguese water dog named Rigel was miraculously rescued after drifting at sea for three days following a boating accident off the coast of Long Island, New York. Rigel, an experienced swimmer, had travelled an estimated 25 miles (40.2 kilometers) from the accident site, demonstrating incredible endurance and determination to survive. At the time of his rescue, Rigel was approximately 2 years and 3 months old, equating to roughly 820 days, illustrating his youthful vigor in overcoming such a daunting challenge.

On July 9, 2024, Rakus, a critically endangered male Sumatran orangutan at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, celebrated his 31st birthday. Born in 1993, Rakus has significantly contributed to orangutan behavioral research and conservation efforts throughout his long life. He is especially noted for his innovative self-medication using medicinal plants, providing valuable insights into orangutan health and intelligence. As of July 9th, 2024, Rakus had lived 11,323 days, a testament to the success of conservation efforts in captivity.

On July 8th, 2018, Pongo, a Sumatran orangutan living at the Miami Zoo, celebrated his 50th birthday, a remarkable achievement making him the oldest living male orangutan in captivity at the time. This milestone underscored the significant advancements in zoo animal care and husbandry. Considering Sumatran orangutans in the wild typically live between 40-50 years, Pongo surpassed the average lifespan, demonstrating the positive impact of specialized veterinary care, nutritious diets, and enriched environments provided in modern zoos.

On July 7th, 2014, Botswana marked ten years since enacting a ban on trophy hunting, a move which significantly contributed to the conservation of its elephant population. With an estimated 130,000 elephants residing within its borders, the largest elephant population in the world, the nation doubled down on protection efforts. Ten years later, countless elephants flourished, and the country remains a haven. An elephant's gestation period is 680 days, so each day the ban was in place from July 7, 2004 to July 7, 2014 represents a little over 0.0014 elephants potentially born (680 gestation days / 3650 days)!