Mothers In The Wild
It isn't just us humans who protect and care for their young. The animal kingdom is full of examples of doting female parents who treasure their little ones and watch over them as they grow from taking their first early steps to the time they're ready to fly the nest. At a time when we are celebrating Mothers Day, here are some proud looking mothers with their babies.
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1. Time for a snuggle.
Giraffe mother Jujis looks after her giraffe baby Thabo in their enclosure at the zoo of Hanover, Germany.
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2. Like peas in a pod.
This baby panda looks like a miniature carbon copy of his mother in Sichuan, China.
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3. "Play with me mummy!"
A baby hippopotamus isn't intimated by the crowds and only wants to play with mum on the first day he's presented to the public at the Berlin Zoo.
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4. Nothing but nothing is cuter than baby piglets.
"I want to do what you do." These two mini-pig piglets stand close to their mother whilst they munch on lunch at the zoo in Hanover Zoo.
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5. Big kisses all round.
Orangutan baby Changi tenderly kisses his mother Lea at the zoo in Krefeld, Germany.
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6. "We're following the leader"
"Come on mum, keep up!" A Moscovy duck follows her ducklings across the course during final practice for the World Golf Championship in Florida.
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7. Queen of the jungle!
A very proud looking Sumatran tiger mother named Jumilah is seen with one of her cubs on display at Taronga Zoo.
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8. Staying close to mum!
A chimpanzee mother cuddles her infant at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
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9. "It's your bathtime!"
Huggies the polar bear licks her two twin cubs whilst they feed.
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10. "One day my horn will be as big as yours!"
A baby rhinoceros stands nose to nose with it's mother Anna at the zoo in Magdeburg, Germany.
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11. Watch out for the little 'un!
Ludwig the nine-month-old baby elephant plays peekaboo as he explores his enclosure on at the Tierpark Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich.
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12. Hold on tight!
Boonda the new baby joey koala clings to his mother Elle's back at Sydney Wildlife World.
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13. "Come here you"
A three week-old Colobus monkey, is held in the arms of her mother Clover, in Melbourne.
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14. This little fella's catching a cheeky ride.
A baboon monkey hitches a lift off it's mother at the a zoo in Columbia.
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15. This little baby looks nice and snug.
It certainly looks warm and cosy in there. A baby kangaroo peeks out from its mother's pouch at Hanover Zoo, Germany.
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16. A mother and baby seal pup catch some rays on the beach.
The pair of grey seals look nice and relaxed as they lie on the sand at Horsey Warren in Norfolk.
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17. A mother bull helps her baby take it's first tentative steps.
Baby Zebu Lea walks next to her mother Franka at the Tierpark zoo in Berlin.
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18. What a tranquil sight.
A baby bottle nose dolphin swims close to his mother at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Tokyo.