Three boisterous baby Spider Monkeys have been thrilling visitors to Taronga Western Plains Zoo these school holidays.
Born over the space of a few months to mums Rosa, Hiccups and Jai, the three young females are thriving as they learn to eat, play and climb on the Primate Islands.
“It’s really exciting to have three new babies, and to see the whole troop pitching in, it’s a real family affair,” said Primate Keeper Sasha Brook.
Is there anything cuter than a baby Spider Monkey with the hiccups? We think not.
Wellington Zoo’s (New Zealand) newest arrival is an ambassador for the plight of the endangered Spider Monkey population. One of the greatest threats to the population is deforestation.
One simple thing we can all do to help is purchase paper and wood products that have the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo. This means you're supporting sustainably sourced products that haven't come from the homes of wild animals.
He was born on September 7, 2022, got his name on January 7 and is now the 7th baby for Prague Zoo’s female Talula (his dad is named Benji).
Meet Geoffroy's spider monkey Tiko! The little male was named by naturalist and Government Commissioner for Biodiversity Negotiations doc. RNDr. Ladislav Miko, Ph.D.
Only three zoos in Europe have this Mexican subspecies of spider monkey in care. Prague Zoo currently breeds the largest group in Europe and has kept them since 2005.
You can visit Tiko in the Zoo’s Monkey Islands exhibition complex.
Primates come from illegal pet trade, support conservation mission
SANFORD, Fla. (September 5, 2022) — While baby spider monkeys might look so cute you just want to hold one, having a spider monkey as a pet is anything but innocent.
The cruel truth is that in order for wildlife traffickers to obtain infant spider monkeys to sell into the pet trade, they have to kill the entire troop. That’s exactly what officials believe happened to the three new spider monkeys who have been placed with the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens. Now, the three primates will serve as a beacon of hope for animal conservation in more ways than one.
MELBOURNE, Fla., April 19, 2022 — Brevard Zoo’s troop of black-handed spider monkeys has grown! In the early morning of Friday, April 15, 31-year-old spider monkey Shelley gave birth to an offspring.
The sex of the baby is not yet known. Animal care staff note that the youngling is doing well, holding on strong to mom and nursing successfully.
[April 18, 2022] - Nashville Zoo is excited to announce the first successful Mexican spider monkey birth at the Zoo. The monkey was born on April 9 to Molly (mom) and Sandy (dad) bringing the total number of spider monkeys in the Zoo's care to five. The baby and mom are healthy and made their exhibit debut last Thursday.
"Molly has been a great mom so far. She is calm, nurturing and gives the baby plenty of time to nurse," said Nashville Zoo's Primate Supervisor Brittany Canfield. "Each member occasionally gets to groom the baby too."
Chester Zoo is celebrating the birth of a threatened spider monkey.
The rare baby primate, a Colombian black-headed spider monkey, has been spotted being cradled in the arms of experienced mum, Kiara (11).
Colombian black-headed spider monkeys are considered vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and are at risk of extinction, with more than a quarter of its population estimated to have been lost in just the last half a century.
The South American primates are found mainly in Colombia and Panama where they are being increasingly threatened by hunting, illegal trafficking and the destruction of their tropical rainforest habitat.
Dudley Zoo and Castle is thrilled to announce the birth of a critically endangered Colombian black spider monkey, which was captured on camera by one of its delighted primate keepers.
Twenty year-old Valentine gave birth to the tiny baby on January 10, just as Senior Keeper, Harley Hunt arrived at their indoor den.
Senior Keeper Harley Hunt said: “As soon as I realised Valentine was giving birth and the baby was very imminent, I grabbed my phone and hid by the window, filming through the glass while trying to watch what was unfolding at the same time.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo is delighted to announce the arrival of another Spider Monkey baby, born on 5 October 2020.
The female baby is yet to be named and was born to mother, Margarita and father, Pedro and is the second offspring for the pair.
“Margarita is an experienced mother and is taking to the role like an old hand. She is doing a good job caring for her newborn,” said Primate Keeper Rachel Schildkraut.
“The other juveniles in the group have shown a little bit of interest in the new arrival, coming over to have a closer look,” said Rachel.
This is the second Spider Monkey baby born to the group in the past two months, with the first arriving in late August 2020.
“The first baby is developing well and whilst he is still attached to mum, he is starting to occasionally reach out for things nearby and spends a lot of time looking around.”
Spider Monkey babies cling to their mothers with an amazing grip and suckle as needed for the first few months of their lives. After approximately three to four months the babies become more active and move to riding on their mother’s back and start exploring a little more.
“Our first baby can occasionally be observed dorsal riding, or riding on his mother’s back, but he is still a little uncoordinated.”
“The best vantage spot to view the Spider Monkey babies is from the deck at the Zoo Café,” said Rachel.
The Black-handed Spider Monkey conservation breeding program at Taronga Western Plains Zoo has now welcomed four females and three males since the arrival of Pedro the breeding male from France in 2014.
Black-handed Spider Monkeys are found in Mexico and throughout Central America and are classified as Endangered with habitat loss the primary cause of their decline.