Meet the cutest expecting parents, welcoming the first tamandua at the Denver Zoo in a decade

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) – Meet the cutest expecting parents ever, welcoming the first tamandua born at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance (DZCA) in over a decade!

On Tuesday, the animal ambassador team at DZCA shared a very exciting update – Winnie, their seven-year-old southern tamandua, is expecting!

The Denver Zoo is a participant in the Southern Tamandua Species Survival Plan, a program managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to ensure genetic diversity and healthy populations of species in human care.

The zoo says Winnie moved to DZCA back in 2018 on a breeding recommendation with another of the zoo's tamanduas, Laird – but sparks didn't fly between the two.

Earlier this year, coordinators made a new breeding recommendation, which brought another male tamandua, Santiago, from the Nashville Zoo to Denver. The zoo says the two hit it off, and an ultrasound confirmed Winnie's pregnancy just a few weeks ago!

And Winnie is very enthusiastic about the process – in fact, the zoo says she's been trained to participate in her own healthcare, including being trained to receive voluntary injections and ultrasounds.

DZCA says another key part of her enrichment during pregnancy is continuing on her walks around the zoo.

"As long as the weather is nice, you may see Winnie out on walks so we can help keep this mama fit!" DZCA said in a post on Facebook.

Tamanduas typically give birth to a single baby at a time, and Winnie is due early next year, the zoo says.

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