The Greenville Zoo is celebrating the arrival of yet another new member of the zoo family: an Angolan colobus monkey. Animal care staff recently discovered the baby during early morning operations.
This is the second baby for zoo residents Nuru (female) and Valentino (male), whose first baby passed away on February 28th. According to zoo administrator Jeff Bullock, although the baby has been on exhibit with the parents since its birth, the zoo waited to make an official announcement until staff was confident that all was well with the newborn.
“While we know that the death of Nuru’s and Valentino’s firstborn was an accident, we’ve utilized zoo docents and other volunteers to observe the family for any indications of Nuru not taking proper care of the infant, just to be on the safe side,” said Bullock. “Happily, the baby is doing well and the warm weather has made it easier for mother and baby to enjoy being outside and soak up plenty of sunshine.” The baby appears large for a newborn and while its sex is still unknown, zoo staff should be able to tell soon. The baby was born completely white but its coat will darken over the next couple of months.
Valentino and Nuru have been together since June 23, 2015 and are part of the Species Survival Plan’s managed breeding program. Valentino was born at Jungle Island in Miami, Florida on February 13, 2002 and Nuru was born at the San Diego Zoo on December 3, 2006. Angolan colobus monkeys are forest dwellers and can be found in dense rainforests, both in the lowlands and coastal mountains in Africa. They live in most of the Congo Basin, to the south and northeast of the Congo River, as far as Ruwenzori, Burundi and southwestern Uganda. The species can also be found in East Africa, especially in the montane and coastal forests of Kenya and Tanzania and in isolated mountain areas. Although the species is named after Angola, it is quite rare in that country.
“There has been so much going on this fall,” said Bullock. “Between the new giraffe, a record-breaking first weekend for Boo in the Zoo and the new baby colobus, it’s hard to believe that the zoo will have even more exciting changes before the end of the year.”
(Image via Greenville Zoo.)