Irvine, Georgeanne

Introduces readers to Ruuxa the cheetah and his best friend, Raina the Rhodesian Ridgeback, and describes how Ruuxa, born with front legs that grew crooked, and Raina, diagnosed with terminal cancer, have a friendship like no other.

Text and photographs present baby orangutans in the zoo as they are cared for by a human "mother.".

A baby gorilla is cared for during the first year of her life by the zoo staff, and later released into a cage to her gorilla family.

Text and pictures show two baby otters, residents of a zoo, during their first three months of life.

A baby koala describes his growing awareness of his zoo world after he becomes too big for his mother's pouch.

A baby giraffe born in the San Diego Zoo becomes accustomed to life with the other animals in the zoo's large African enclosure.

A baby elephant enjoys playing with the other young elephants at the zoo, looking forward to the time when he will be fully grown and weigh 12,000 pounds.

A baby zebra recalls her first days of life at the zoo and the things her mother told her about zebras and their stripes.

Two stories of endangered big cats living at the San Diego Zoo--Blanca, a rare white tiger, who was rescued from the back seat of a car bound for Mexico, and Arusha, a cheetah who shared a special friendship with a dog.

Describes the work of the veterinarians at the San Diego Zoo as they treat sick and injured animals and work to save species through conservation and breeding programs.