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In late January, African straw-colored fruit bat Jessica gave birth. At 18 years old (the average life expectancy for this species), she is one of the oldest straw-colored fruit bats to give birth in human care. Of all mammals, fruit bats have the largest-sized babies in comparison to their body size: a female that weighs 300g will give birth to a pup that weighs 50g!

Sadly, the natural weight of the pup may have contributed to Jessica experiencing a critical injury after giving birth. She was humanely euthanized due to the significant nature of the injury and the very poor chance of making a recovery.

The African rainforest team immediately stepped in to begin hand-rearing the pup, now named Jesse in honor of his mom. He receives around-the-clock care, including feedings every four hours: the zoo’s nutrition team designed a special milk formula that is made fresh every 24 hours just for him. Although to date he has only been eating formula, he will soon be introduced to pureed fruit.