ZooBorns

It's a Tiny Trio of Snow Monkey Babies

The Japanese Macaque troop, also known as snow monkeys, at the UK's Highland Wildlife Park recently welcomed a trio of babies born between April 21 and 25. The three belong to moms Mang, Djangal and Angara. Still only 3 weeks old, the babies are staying close to their mothers. The gender of the little ones will not be determined for a bit and until then, they won't be named, but keepers are already noticing their different characters starting to come through. One in particular is a little more boisterous than the others!

Japanese macaques are found throughout Japan, living in large troupes in woodland and sub-tropical forests. Instantly recognisable due to their bright red faces and white fur, these primates are fully adapted to seasonal climate changes as temperatures in Japan can plummet to as low as -15°C in the winter, making their Scottish Highland home ideal. There are now 21 Japanese macaques living at the Highland Wildlife Park. 

Photo Credit: Jon Paul-Orsi

Better Bottle Feed That Baby!

Keepers at Des Moines, Iowa's Blank Park Zoo sprang into action when it became clear the mother of a new born baby Japanese Macaque was neglecting her infant. The female baby monkey, born April 20, is now being bottle fed every couple of hours and will remain in keepers' care until she is fully weaned and able to rejoin the Macaque troop. 

“This is a positive step forward for the Japanese macaque breeding program, but we can’t call it a success until the mothers learn how to care for their young” said Kevin Drees, director of animal care and conservation. “None of our females of breeding age have raised a baby before so that is why keepers had to intervene.”

 

Japanese macaques are threatened due to deforestation and the loss of their habitat. As human development invades the territories of these macaques, human and macaque encounters increase, and about 5000 macaques are captured or shot each year (despite protection from the Japanese government) for they are considered as agricultural pests.

His Name is Tambo! Baby Black Crested Macaque at Drusillas Park

A critically endangered monkey has been born at the UK's Drusillas Park, as part of the European breeding program. The Sulawesi Black Crested macaque was delivered on October 25 and staff are delighted. Parents Kendari and Moteck were introduced at Drusillas in 2010, after being re-homed respectively from Chester Zoo and Monkey Park in Israel. The new arrival is the couple’s first baby together and hopefully will be one of many more to come.

These large impressive monkeys have just one baby at a time, born with a pink face which darkens with age. So far the baby boy, just named Tambo after the Zoo's naming contest, is thriving alongside Mom and Dad. He will remain very dependent for the next four to five months, clinging to his mother who will nurse him for at least a year. 

Zoo Manager, Sue Woodgate commented: “It is wonderful to see the new addition to our macaque family. He is showing a lot of interest in his surroundings and being doted on by his cousin Kamala who was born at Drusillas in 2010. We are expecting a lot of monkeying around from these two over the coming months.”

Black crested macaques are native to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi where they are now regarded as critically endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). In the last 40 years it is estimated that the population has been reduced by more than 80% due to habitat loss and hunting pressure and they now face the very real threat of extinction in the wild.

Photo Credits: Drusillas Park Zoo

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New Crested Macaque Baby At Dublin Zoo

The Sulawesi Crested Macaque Island at the Dublin Zoo celebrated yet another addition to their troop. Since Sumo the alpha male arrived in 2009 the group has welcomed five youngsters with this most recent addition born about a month ago. It is too early to tell if the baby is a male or a female. 

Ciaran McMahon, team leader of the macaques said, “Macaques are an endangered species and it is a real accomplishment that our troop is growing so fast. We have a cohesive group of twelve macaques who can regularly be seen grooming and spending time with each other. He added, “Male macaques are not monogamous primates and Sumo is enjoying great success with his six breeding females. We hope to welcome more new arrivals throughout the year.”

Sleepy Sunday? Macaque Catches Some Z's

Korea's Everland Zoo is home to some of the all-time classic ZooBorns. In this shot, photographer floridapfe catches one of the zoo's Pigtail Macaques in dreamland.  Sleeping off a turkey hangover perhaps?

Up Close and Personal with a Baby Barbary Macaque

One of the best known Old World monkeys, the last wild Barbary Macaque population in Europe lives on the rock of Gibraltar, occasionally wandering into town to cause mischief. This baby macaque was born in the last few weeks at Apenheul Primate Park in the Netherlands, a rare open facility that allows its primate residents to wander around freely and build their own social groups. Thanks to photographer Jean Kern for sharing these photos as well as for his work on orangutan conservation.