SECRETARY'S REPORT 113 



The following were produced in the Zoo during the fiscal year : 



A baby female giraffe {O-lraffa camelopardalis) , the fifth born here, 

 was a choice addition to the herd. 



A pygmy hippo {Choeropsis liberiensis) , the thirteenth for this Zoo. 



A gaur calf {Bihos gaums), the tenth of this species bom in the 

 Park. 



A vulpine phalanger {Trlchosurus vulpecula) was bom to one of 

 tlie females in the group that were obtained from Sir Edward Halls- 

 trom in November 1951. 



The pair of Kinabalu tree shrews {Tupai montarui haluensis) that 

 were deposited with us by Lt. Col. Robert Traub, gave birth to young 

 three times during the year. Unfortunately the mother killed the 

 young within a few hours or a few days. However, by these births 

 the gestation period has been determined as not more than 21 days. 

 Colonel Traub is much interested in the ability of these animals to 

 produce young in captivity, as it indicates that the food mixture that 

 was developed by the Assistant Director of the Zoo and which was 

 described in the Annual Report of the Zoo for 1950 is satisfactory for 

 tree shrews as well as other shrews and bats. Colonel Traub, who 

 has been engaged in work concerning certain human diseases, thinks 

 it possible that tree shrews, which are believed by some zoologists to 

 be a primitive primate type, might be suitable animals for laboratory 

 studies of the diseases of man. Therefore, the successful keeping 

 and rearing of tree shrews in captivity might be of considerable 

 importance. 



The little herd of Chinese water deer {Hydropotes inermis) was 

 increased by the birth of three sets of twins. These small deer are of 

 particular interest because of their habit of living in swampy areas 

 in their native haunts and because of the fact that the males lack horns 

 but have considerably enlarged canine teeth. 



Another slender-tailed cloud rat {Phloeomys cumingi) has been 

 born to augment the family group of this very rare Philippine high- 

 altitude relative of the rat. This species has more the appearance of 

 an opossum than of a rat. 



Another young was born to the group of pacas (Guniculits paca). 

 These are large, conspicuously marked rodents that are always a satis- 

 factory exhibit. 



Twice during the year a pair of African porcupines {Eystrix ga- 

 leata) produced a single young. It was interesting to witness the 

 remarkable maneuvers of the parents and the older young one to pro- 

 tect the newborn. 



A pair of crested screamers {Chauna torquata) hatched and raised 

 one young. 



