Queen Mothers of the Animal Kingdom
Four newly hatched cygnets follow their mother swan into the lake at Crossgates Country Club near Millersville, Pennsylvania, on April 30.
A baby one-day-old American Bison and his mother nuzzle each other in the zoo de Servion, in Servion, Switzerland on April 27.
Baby elephant 'Assam' explores his enclosure with his mother at the Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg, Germany, on April 27.
Gorilla Chelewa holds her baby born the day before at Cabarceno Nature Park in Cantabria, northern Spain, on April 25.
An infant mongoose lemur is shown nestled in the fur of its mother at Busch Gardens in Tamp, Florida, April 25.
A white stork brings a branch in its nest, near Biebesheim, western Germany, on April 25.
10-year-old Sumatran orangutan Cahaya cuddles her 6-day-old male cub Malou at the zoo in Zurich, Switzerland, on April 12.
A newborn South American female tapir baby lies next to her mother at the Debrecen Zoo in Hungary on April 16.
A 1-month old albino Bennett tree-kangaroo rests in his mother's pouch at the 'Garden of Nature' zoo in Hungary on April 21.
Two storks care for their chicks on April 23 at the wildlife park in Eekholt, Germany.
A golden takes care of her 1-day-old offspring in Liberec Zoo on April 13. The Liberec Zoo, in the Czech Republic is the only one in Europe which breeds the species, a goat-antelope from Asia, in captivity, according to a spokesperson from the zoo.
A baby baboon is seen in his mother's arms at the Hagenbeck Zoo on April 18 in Hamburg, Germany.
A 1-day-old Asian elephant baby keeps close to her mother, Lai Sinh, in their enclosure in the Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg, Germany, on April 13.
Kiazi, a rare Eastern Bongo, stands beside his first-time mother, Djembe, on April 2 at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. His name means sweet potato.
An American bald eagle feeds its young at Gray's Lake Park in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 9.
Mother Orsa and her three young bears roam around their open-air enclosure at a wildlife park on April 10 in Germany.
Polar bear mother, Vilma, cuddles with her cub, Anori, at a zoo in Germany on March 29. Anori was born on January 4 and has the same father as polar bear Knut, who died in 2011.
Orangutan infant, Aurora, rests on top of her surrogate mother, Cheyenne's, head after eating breakfast at the Houston Zoo on March 29. Born at the zoo in March 2011, Aurora was abandoned by her mother and hand raised by volunteers for nine months before being adopted by Cheyenne.
A mother polar bear plays with two of her three cubs born last November at the Moscow Zoo, on March 22.
A female giraffe calf born this month at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo stays close to her mother in New York on March 22.
Wira, a newborn male baby Sulawesi crested macaque, is held by his mother, Wino, at ZSL London Zoo on March 14.
Two Asiatic lion cubs that were born in November, venture outdoors for the first time accompanied by their mother at Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on February 22.
2-year-old Henry rides the back of his mother Kuchi inside a Western lowland gorilla habitat at Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, on March 9.
A 3-day-old Lechwe antelope stands next to its mother at the zoo in Berlin on February 10.
A baby baboon only a few days old, stands next to its mother in an enclosure at the "ZOOM" Zoo in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on March 12.
Maggie, a baby giraffe, is nuzzled at the Oakland Zoo on February 2 in Oakland, California. Weighing in at 80 pounds and 72 inches, Maggie is the first female giraffe born at the zoo in nearly a decade.
Rhinoceros offspring, Mala, lies next to its mother, Mana, in their compound at the zoo in Magdeburg, Germany, on January 28.
Western Lowland gorilla mother Bana holds her new baby born on November 16, 2011.
Four baby capybaras are accompanied by their mother as they explore their enclosure on November 3, at the zoo in Schwerin, Germany.
Sumatran tiger Jumilah is seen with her cubs at Taronga Zoo on October 25, in Sydney, Australia.
Torsten Blackwood
Chimp hug
A chimpanzee cuddles her infant at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, on September 30.
