Born on Sunday 13 April, Adelaide Zoo’s newest bundle of zoo is a welcome addition into the white cheeked gibbon family. Parents Viet and Remus are proving to very capable parents.
The baby is a very significant addition to the Australasian breeding program for these gibbons. With only 18 gibbons held at 5 zoos across the region. For Adelaide Zoo it is only the third baby gibbon in the 130 years they have been operating.
This program is aiming to create a safety net in case the species ever go extinct in Laos, Vietnam and Southern China where these gibbons reside. Currently they are in decline with competition from deforestation and poaching reducing their homelands.
Normally residing on a leafy island at the zoo, mother and baby spent a few days relaxing their night house so they could bond without any disturbances. Now they are spending time outside again and visitors can meet them.
Jodie Ellen the zoos senior primate keeper said “Mum is doing a fantastic job caring for the newborn and it’s heart-warming to see both parents develop a strong bond with the baby.”
The zoos last baby gibbon was born on 14 September 2011. Nhu stil lives at the zoo but ‘no longer requires mum’s undivided care.’ She will spend time with the baby as part of her learning said Ellen ‘Watching her mum care for the baby is going to be a valuable life lesson and ensure Nhu knows how to properly care for a baby of her own one day.’
Photo Credit: Adelaide Zoo/Helen Whitford
