There is a Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec Population Explosion at Potter Park Zoo

By Billie Harris

Lansing, MI - Potter Park Zoo is proud to announce the birth of a Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec. The baby was born on June 24, 2009 to one of the only breeding females in the United States.

The recent Tenrec birth brings the zoo’s population to five. The latest arrival will join the zoo’s four other tenrecs, Sonia, Denise, Debbie, and Chaser, as a part of the Potter Park Zoo’s education animal collection. The Potter Park Zoological Society’s Docent Association works primarily with the education animals to teach zoo guests about wildlife. All five tenrecs will be housed at the zoo’s Discovery Center and are currently not on exhibit for the general public.

Lesser Hedgehog Tenrecs are native to Madagascar, where wild populations are steadily decreasing due to habitat loss. Although similar in appearance, the Tenrecs are smaller in size than the hedgehog they derive their name from. The Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec is the tiniest mammal at Potter Park Zoo. The number of Tenrecs in the United States is
limited and Potter Park Zoo has one of the few breeding females.

This latest birth is one of several new arrivals to the Potter Park Zoo Society’s education animal collection. During the last several months the program has seen the arrival of six new animals including, a porcupine, Raven, Red Tail Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Screech Owl and a Kestrel.

Potter Park Zoo is located at 1301 S. Pennsylvania Ave. within Potter Park along the Red Cedar River in Lansing, Michigan. The zoo is open daily year-round, summer hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the summer. For more information, call 517.483.4221 or visit www.potterparkzoo.org

To view Potter Park Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-588-Potter_Park_Zoo