Staff at Belfast Zoo are overjoyed at the birth of two babies in their resident François’ Langur family group.
François’ Langurs are a medium-sized primate that can be found in the forests of Southeast Asia from south-eastern China to northern Vietnam. This leaf-eating monkey species is listed as Endangered with only an estimated 2000 individuals left in the wild, which makes the new arrivals more precious.
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo recently welcomed a Francois langur baby on July 16! This is the second offspring for mom, Glora and dad, Vinh. Francois langur babies are born an orange color and will start to darken to the adults black haircoats within a few months. Francois langurs are considered Endangered by IUCN and are indigenous to China and Vietnam. Guests can visit the new baby on the second floor of The RainForest during regular Zoo hours.
In celebration of the England women's national football team’s success last weekend, Twycross Zoo has dedicated the name of their adorable new François' Langur to midfielder Fran Kirby.
François' Langurs are an endangered species that live in a matriarchal society where the females share parenting responsibilities with each other
The Lionesses' victory is a huge success & Twycross hopes that naming their latest special arrival after one of the incredible players from this inspiring women’s team is a fitting tribute that will inspire success to this amazing endangered species.
Join us in welcoming Zoo Knoxville’s newest BRIGHT ORANGE troop member! Born on Dec. 12, it is the third Silvered Leaf langur baby to be welcomed to Zoo Knoxville since they began working with the species in 2017.
The infant is healthy and nursing and being closely monitored to ensure it continues to thrive. Langur babies will keep their striking bright orange coloring for three to six months, then begin to transition to darker fur like the other members of their group.
It has not been determined if the yet-to-be-named infant is a boy or a girl. The zoo’s family of silvered leaf langurs, made up of males Walter and Opie, and females Teagan, Melody, Lucy and Coda, who will all help care for the infant, a social practice called allomothering.
Zoo Knoxville is part of the Silvered Leaf Langur Species Survival Plan, (SSP), which is a collaborative national conservation program in U.S. zoos accredited by The Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Slivered leaf langurs are threatened in their native range in Borneo and Sumatra, and the southwestern Malay peninsula. Their habitat is being destroyed by logging and the development of palm oil plantations. The species is also threatened by hunting and the illegal pet trade. One of the best ways to support conservation of langurs and other animals impacted by palm oil farming is to purchase products made with sustainable palm oil. Download the “Sustainable Palm Oil Shopping” app created by Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Google Play or Apple App Store to check if the product you are about to purchase is “langur friendly”.
Memphis Zoo’s newest baby is a Francois’ Langur. The infant, named Ryder, was born to parents Jay Jay and Jean Grey. He is the pair’s fifth baby. He’s hard to miss as he is completely orange! Francois langurs are born orange to signify to the rest of the group that they are babies and need protection. The females in the troop all take part in helping raise babies, so he is often passed around from sister to sister. This gives the young females in the troop practice carrying babies. Ryder will begin exploring on his own, while staying close to mom in the upcoming weeks.
Francois langurs are native to the dense, humid forests and green valleys of southern China. Langurs are folivorous, meaning they eat leaves almost exclusively.
The rare Francois' langur primate, who is only three months old, is still being carefully looked after and bottle-fed by Belfast Zoo Keeper, Geraldine Murphy.
As her “adoptive mother”, Geraldine takes the baby monkey home every night so she can continue bottle feeding her every few hours.
Born on 8 May, the female primate has been nicknamed “wee red” by Geraldine’s family and so she has been officially named Hóngxīn, meaning “red heart” in Chinese. The name is also a nod to the small distinctive heart-shaped birth mark on the back of the infant’s head.
Geraldine has spent several months raising Hóngxīn and has now begun the process of slowly reintroducing her into the family unit.
Listed as endangered with estimates of less than 2000 left in the wild, the monkey is native to China and Vietnam and is threatened by poachers and loss of habitat in its home countries.
These rare primates have black fur with white streaks of hair running from their mouths to their ears. They also have a tuft of hair on top of their head. However, infants are born with orange fur which gradually changes to adult colouration as they mature.
Keeper Geraldine explained that sometimes animals reject their offspring,
“There are occasions where mothers just do not have the skill set or the instinct to care for their young but thankfully this is not very frequent. After monitoring the mother and baby it quickly became clear that we needed to become involved.”
Geraldine is no novice when it comes to hand-rearing animals as she was tasked with looking after two Chilean flamingo chicks, named Popcorn and Peanut, back in 2018.
Geraldine said, 'We prefer for animals to be reared naturally by their parents but this isn’t always possible. Hand-rearing animals is no easy job, it is time consuming and can be difficult, but it is also very rewarding. Hóngxīn is definitely keeping me busy but it will be worth it when she is fully integrated back into her family again. Not a lot of people know about this type of primate, but these beautiful monkeys are very vibrant animals, who are incredibly intelligent and agile. It is a real privilege to be able help this endangered species.”
Hóngxīn is not the first of its kind to be born at Belfast Zoo as the zoo has been home to this stunning but threatened species since 1994 with more than 20 births since then.
Belfast Zoo Curator, Andrew Hope is the studbook keeper for the François’ langur breeding programme. This means he is responsible for co-ordinating the genetic and reproductive management of this captive population, which are living in seven European zoos.
Commenting on the birth, Andrew said, “Here at Belfast Zoo we have been incredibly successful at breeding this endangered primate and we are delighted with the arrival of Hóngxīn. This infant is not just something for us to celebrate here at Belfast Zoo, but globally this is significant as with each new arrival, fresh hope is brought to the species as a whole. Logging and the expansion of agriculture has destroyed the habitat of the François’ langur and they are also captured and sold as pets or used in traditional medicines. Numbers are in serious decline and we are honoured that we are able to play an active role in the conservation of the François’ langur.”
Taronga Zoo Sydney is celebrating the birth of a critically endangered male François’ Langur, one of the world’s rarest monkey species, who has arrived just in time to delight guests these school holidays. At just over three weeks old, the adorable new arrival is doing well and has been named Manchu by his Primate Keepers – which means pure in a local Chinese dialect.
Like all François’ Langur babies, the little one was born with vibrant orange fur, an incredible contrast to his mother Meli and the rest of the troop who are all black in colouring. It is believed that colour distinction makes it easier for adults to identify and look out for infants.
“It is not uncommon in François’ Langur communities for other female monkeys to lend a hand raising infants. This is known as allomothering, and it lets mum have a break but also benefits the development of the infant as they are exposed to experienced members of the troupe,” says Primate Supervisor Mel Shipway.
“François’ Langur babies develop quite quickly, and we have already witnessed Manchu attempt to climb and move independently from mum. He is also starting to show patches of black fur across his body and some white stripes on his face, so we aren’t too sure how long he will be orange in colour, all infants develop at different rates”, says Shipway.
“Langurs are lesser-known species of monkey, but they are beautiful and vibrant creatures, we would love guests to come see this adorable new addition to the Taronga's primate family” says Shipway
The birth of Manchu brings the total number of Langurs at Taronga Zoo to 11. While the monkeys can be lightening fast as they move through the exhibit, the group are fed daily at 9.30 am, 12 pm and 2.45 pm which make great viewing times.
François’ Langurs are a critically endangered species found in China and Vietnam and continue to be heavily poached for traditional medicines and face habitat loss through mining and deforestation.
With an estimate of only around 1,500 individuals left in the wild, this species like many other primates are in trouble. The birth of this male at Taronga is great news for François Langurs, as he will be an incredible ambassador for his species and wild relatives.
Manchu joins many new arrivals these Easter School Holidays including Birubi the Long-nosed fur seal pup, Humphrey the koala joey, a Tree Kangaroo joey, seven Bolivian Squirrel Monkeys and of course Amalie an Australian sea lion pup!
Guests can also take advantage of their “Dine and Discover” vouchers and receive $25 off the purchase of their Zoo ticket and animal encounters as well as $25 off any food and beverage purchase. To find out more and book your tickets, please head to www.taronga.org.au/buy-tickets
On December 13, Philadelphia Zoo welcomed a new female Francois Langur baby, born to Mei Mei and Chester. Her name is Quý Báu, pronounced "Qwee Bow", meaning “precious,” in Vietnamese. This is the first successful breeding of this species at the Zoo, and the first offspring for parents Mei Mei and Chester.
As a first-time mom, Mei Mei struggled in the beginning, but thanks to advanced planning, input from the Species Survival Plan (SSP) and great response and action from keepers and veterinarians, they were able to get mom and baby back together on day one, and reunited with the group just a few days later.
Ling, Mei Mei’s sister and exhibit mate, is doing a great job, helping mom out, carrying the infant throughout the day and returning to mom to feed, as is expected for this species. Native to Southern China and Northern Vietnam, François langurs are endangered in the wild. Guests will be able to see this family in Zoo360 when the temperatures are 40-degrees or warmer, similar to the temperature in their native regions.
Zoo Knoxville had two happy surprises for the holidays - the births of both an endangered mountain zebra and a baby giraffe! The zoo had just welcomed a silvered leaf langur infant on November 30th as well.
The Zebra foal was born December 23rd to parents Lydia and Die Toekoms, and is the first mountain zebra to be born in Knoxville. The baby is nursing and healthy. The foal’s gender is yet to be determined as zoo staff are giving Lydia and the baby time to bond.
Zoo Knoxville is one of only 18 zoos in the country who work with this species as part of the Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra Species Survival Plan, a collaboration of zoos accredited by The Association of Zoos and Aquariums to save them from extinction. Native to southwest Africa, mountain zebras are vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss due to farming and livestock production. It is estimated that only 8,300 remain in the wild.
On the following day, Christmas Eve, Frances the giraffe gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
Frances and her new calf are being given time to bond in the barn with the zoo’s other female Lucille and father Jumbe. The team of caretakers will be monitoring the calf closely to make sure it is getting enough nourishment and gaining strength.
When staff is confident Frances and the calf are ready, they will begin giving them access to controlled space outside when temperatures are warm enough for the baby to be out safely. This is the second giraffe birth at Zoo Knoxville in 18 years. This is also the second offspring for Frances and Jumbe. The two were paired on the recommendation of the Giraffe Species Survival Plan, a collaboration of zoos accredited by The Association of Zoos and Aquariums working to save giraffes from extinction.
The population of wild giraffes has declined dramatically over the last few years, and now there are fewer than 100,000 giraffe left in Africa. They are threatened by habitat loss, competition with growing human populations and being hunted for bushmeat. With a recent 40% decrease in their populations, giraffe are now critically endangered. This calf will help ensure a healthy giraffe population for the future conservation of his species.
Knoxville’s Langur troop has a bright orange baby as its newest member! The infant was born on November 30 to parents Lucy and Walter, and is the second langur baby to be born in Knoxville since the zoo began working with the species in 2017.
The infant is healthy and nursing and being closely monitored to ensure it continues to thrive. Langur babies will keep their striking coloring for three to six months, then begin to transition to darker fur like the other members of their group. It has not been determined if the yet-to-be-named infant is a boy or a girl.
The zoo’s family of silvered leaf langurs, made up of males Walter and Opie, and females Teagan, Melody, and Lucy, will all help care for the infant, a social practice called allomothering. The baby will be on public view in the Langur Landing indoor viewing room in a few weeks.
Zoo Knoxville is part of the Silvered Leaf Langur Species Survival Plan, (SSP), which is a collaborative national conservation program in U.S. zoos accredited by by The Association of Zoos and Aquariums.