Staff and visitors who were lucky enough to catch the first glimpses of Drusillas Park’s (Sussex, UK) tiny baby otters in late August noticed something rather unusual about the triplets – their otter-ly fabulous silver coats!

Born in late July, it appears the pearly pups have all inherited the extraordinary gene from their dad, Cheddar, with each infant boasting the same silvery frosted fur.

Not long after welcoming the new arrivals, Keepers noticed that the babies were nothing like any otter pups they’d seen before, and visitors could enjoy seeing Cheddar and mum, Halloumi-Bee, bring their babes out of the nest for the first time.

The triplets take Drusillas count for otter babies over the last couple of years to seven, bringing positive news for the species’ animal welfare throughout BIAZA collections. Asian short-clawed otters are classified as vulnerable as they are under threat from habitat loss and use in the pet trade, and Drusillas is proud to be contributing once again to animal conservation in this way.

Just a few weeks prior, Drusillas was overjoyed to announce the safe arrival of their ape-solutely adorable newest zoo born - a critically endangered Sulawesi crested macaque baby.

The Zoo team are elated to confirm that the cheeky babe, born on 22nd June to mum Kera and dad Moteck, is perfectly healthy, happy and headstrong, as it starts to brave life outside of the protective hold of its mother. The super cute infant has been delighting visitors by trying out some climbing, swinging, tumbling… and falling!

The Sulawesi black crested macaque is categorised as critically endangered in the wild, and is one of over 20 different endangered and rare species living at the East Sussex Zoo. Sadly the macaque population has declined by 80% over the last 40 years. The principal threat to their survival is over-hunting for meat. In Indonesia the macaque is considered a delicacy, and is often served for special occasions. Deforestation is another major threat to the species, with large areas of their habitat now being cleared for coconut plantations, garden plots and roads. 

“As well as being totally adorable, the cause for celebration is that much more when we successfully breed a critically endangered species at Drusillas.” Continued Gemma, “The healthy arrival of this pair’s second baby provides a crucial boost for the macaque population, and we’re all really proud to play our part in keeping this beautiful primate from extinction.”

Thousands of people put forward names on the Park’s Facebook naming challenge at the beginning of August, and Drusillas have now confirmed that the baby has been named Kiwi!

Photo Credits: Zoo de Granby

Keepers at Zoo de Granby had a small, yet big, surprise last month. In the middle of June, they discovered a female Japanese Macaque baby in the exhibit.

Keepers, on their morning rounds, were first alerted to the newborn by her screeches. The mother had rejected and abandoned the small monkey, so staff quickly intervened and placed the baby in an incubator.

The wee one was recently given the name Kimi and has been carefully tended by keepers for the past four weeks. She will remain off-exhibit until old enough to join the Zoo’s troop.

Kimi is also the first Macaque to be born at Granby in ten years!

A baby Sulawesi Crested Macaque at the Chester Zoo is getting a lot of attention – from the other 15 members of the zoo’s Macaque troop, and from conservationists concerned with protecting this critically endangered species.

Born on May 29, the little Monkey clings to its mother Camilla as other Macaques gather around with intense interest in the baby.  So far, Camilla is proving to be a good mother, even though this baby is her first.

Photo Credit:  Chester Zoo
 
Found only on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, roughly 5,000 Sulawesi Crested Macaques remain in the island’s rain forests.  Despite its threatened status, this species is still hunted regularly as a pest because it destroys crops in search of food.  They are also hunted as bushmeat.  Large-scale destruction of forests has dramatically reduced available habitat for these fruit- and leaf-eating Macaques.

Sulawesi Crested Macaques also live on some smaller, less-populated islands near Sulawesi, where they enjoy less pressure from humans.  Six other macaque species live on Sulawesi, but this species is the most critically endangered.

This new baby is an important addition to European zoos' breeding program to preserve genetic diversity in endangered species. 

See more photos of the baby Macaque below.

A female Sulawesi Crested Macaque, born July 21^st, is the first macaque birth at Dudley Zoological Gardens, in the UK, in three and a half years!

Some visitors were lucky enough to witness the amazing birth, and shortly afterwards, keen photographer and Dudley Zoological Gardens (DZG) member, Kathryn Willett, snapped a beautiful family portrait of the little one with mum Jasmine and dad Simon.

Dudley Zoo Director, Derek Grove said, “This is a stunning picture of mum, dad and the new baby. It's rare to get good photos of them all together as the mother usually keeps the baby hidden away at first. It just shows how comfortable the macaques are with our visitors, as the birth took place in their wooden shelter, rather than mum moving to a more private area. Some visitors managed to witness the birth itself which is absolutely amazing and we are thrilled with the news."

Photo Credits: Kathryn Willett

DZG's Head of Upper Primates, Pat Stevens, added, “The birth was only a couple of days after the due date we’d calculated for Jasmine, and the baby is doing great. It is healthy and clinging on really well to mum.”

Female macaques give birth after a 174 day gestation period, and usually a single offspring is born. Young animals are nursed for one year and become fully mature in three to four years, females sooner than males.

The tiny macaque has been hugely popular at Dudley Zoo, and once keepers discovered her sex, she was given the moniker Summer, in honor of her time of birth.

Summer is now two-and-a-half month’s old and her popularity continues. She is also reaching all the important milestones in her growth and development. Pat Stevens remarked, “She is doing really well and is coming off mum quite a bit now.”

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

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.

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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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.”

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?

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.