ZooAmerica Announces Birth of Ringtail Kit

Date: July 28, 2026

ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park today formally announced the arrival of Theodore, the ringtail kit. Also known as Teddy, this little member of the raccoon (Procyonidae) family just turned two months old. He was born on May 20, 2026, at ZooAmerica and has been growing up behind the scenes with his mom, Periwinkle, in the Great Southwest building.

Earlier this year, we welcomed Periwinkle (Peri) the Ringtail back to the ZooAmerica family. She and her three sisters were born here in 2018 to parents, Violet & Rambo. All four female ringtails then moved onto other accredited zoos. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Ringtail Species Survival Plan made the recommendation last October to pair Remington and Periwinkle for breeding. Remington (Remi) came to us from a wildlife rehabilitation center in California. Peri and Remi were introduced in early March, and we are thrilled that one of our former kits has welcomed a baby of her own. She even gave birth to Teddy in the same nest box that she was born in nearly eight years prior!

Periwinkle and Teddy will be visiting the ringtail habitat soon! Teddy is gaining more confidence in his abilities to walk, run, jump, slide and climb in his behind-the-scenes area. Once he is more skilled in his mobility, he will begin to explore the larger ringtail habitat. We will keep you updated when he and Periwinkle can be viewed by our visitors!

Other New Animal Additions to 11-Acre Zoo in Hershey

Teddy joins some other new arrivals at ZooAmerica this summer, including two black bear cubs and nine prairie dogs. You can read more about them here.

Briar and Bramble, a pair of orphaned black bear cub siblings, recently arrived in Hershey through the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks after being classified as non-releasable. The male and female cubs are acclimating behind the scenes, where they will grow and eventually be integrated with the zoo's resident bear, Chief, before making their official public habitat debut in the Eastern Woodlands region in 2027.

In the Big Sky Country, nine black-tailed prairie dogs can be spotted, though they frequently retreat inside their burrows to escape the heat.