Bonking Boris the sea lion, father of 40 pups

6:04am Monday 17th July 2006

Birds do it, bees do it. And so do capybaras, otters, and sea lions. And doesn't Chessington World of Adventures just know it, after an unprecedented baby boom.

This season has seen the infamous and virile sea lion Bonking Boris break his own record, with his 39th and 40th pups. Despite the introduction of a young stud named Murphy, Boris, the oldest sea lion in Europe, continues to beat all the odds in the fatherhood stakes and will carry on breeding with two females.

The first 2006 babies to arrive were two male capybaras. Members of the rodent family and reminiscent of giant guinea pigs, they were born to first-time parents Pilli and Temo at the end of April.

The pitter patter of tiny paws came again in May as otters, Guinevere and Lancelot had four tiny babies. They were followed by chicks from both the striated caracara hawk and the red-legged seriema.

Will Elgar, head of animal behaviours and enrichment at Chessington, said: "The success we have achieved this year is something we have been building on for a while, and we are all very excited about this year's brood. It is a very strong indication that our animals are healthy and enriched."

He added: "Most of the animals in Chessington are endangered or threatened species and the most important part of the work of our zoo is its contribution to conservation."