Female seal “Lotte” swims in a pool of her enclosure at the zoo in Rostock, northeastern Germany, on September 27, 2019. (Photo by Bernd Wuestneck/dpa/AFP Photo)

A baby otter has its first health checkup at Chester zoo, England on May 2, 2018. It was among five pups being weighed and microchipped. (Photo by Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

Giant panda Xiao Qi Ji plays at his enclosure at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, Thursday, September 28, 2023. (Photo by Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)

Giant panda Yu Ai enjoys fruit “kebabs” at Chongqing Zoo on November 30, 2024 in Chongqing, China. (Photo by Li Hongbo/VCG via Getty Images)

Itzae, a three-and-a-half-month-old albino puma cub, walks in its enclosure as it is being presented to the public for the first time, at the Thomas Belt Zoo, in Juigalpa, Nicaragua on November 10, 2023. (Photo by Maynor Valenzuela/Reuters)

The National Geographic Photo Ark is a travelling exhibition of photographer Joel Sartore’s quest to create a photo archive of biodiversity around the world. So far, Sartore has captured studio portraits of more than 6,000 species – a number that he hopes to double. On 1 July, the ark will open at Melbourne zoo – the first time it has been exhibited in the southern hemisphere. More than 50 portraits will be on display, including many of Australian endangered animals being protected by programs at the zoo itself. These captions have been edited from text supplied by Melbourne zoo. Here: Barking owl. (Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark/The Guardian)

This undated handout image courtesy of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance shows “Pat”, a Pacific pocket mouse fondly named after actor Sir Patrick Stewart. A mouse named after “Star Trek” actor Patrick Stewart is officially the world's oldest in captivity, a US zoo has announced Pat the Pacific Pocket Mouse – the smallest species of mouse in North America – bagged the title when he hit nine years and 209 days old on February 8, 2023. (Photo by Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance via AFP Photo)

White lioness Azira lies in the cage with her three white cubs, on February 4, 2014. Zoo owner Andrzej Pabich says white lions often have defects that prevent giving birth, or the mother rejects her cubs, but Azira has been patiently feeding and caring for her little ones. (Photo by Czarek Sokolowski/Associated Press)