Staff at Twycross Zoo are celebrating the birth of a super cute baby gibbon, who arrived on International Gibbon Day!
The pileated gibbon is being looked after by the zoo’s team of expert keepers & veterinarians.
The female infant, who is yet to be named, was born to mother Valentina, who is 25 years old and 43-year-old father Helmut.
Both Helmut and Valentina are very important individuals within the EAZA Ex-situ Programme (EEP) for pileated gibbons, due to their genetics.
The programme, which runs across zoos in Europe, consists of just 56 individuals and is coordinated by Twycross Zoo. It aims to conserve a healthy population of these animals in zoos, so this latest birth is a real
success for the ongoing protection of the species.
Twycross Zoo’s pileated gibbons live along three other gibbon species in their world-class Gibbon Forest habitat. The new arrival still spends all her time on mum, but is becoming increasingly aware of her surroundings. The infant will remain with her parents for several more years as she grows and develops.
Delighted
Lynsey Bugg, curator at Twycross Zoo, is the EAZA Ex-situ Programme (EEP) coordinator for the pileated gibbon. She said: “We’re delighted to announce the birth of a pileated baby gibbon at Twycross Zoo.
“It’s always a special moment when we welcome any new arrival and this birth is incredibly important as part of the pileated gibbon EEP, which is dedicated to protecting future populations of the species, who continue to face severe threats in the wild.
“As a conservation charity, our overarching aim is to help save the species with whom we share our planet through conservation action. We recently unveiled our ambitious new Conservation Strategy, and supporting healthy ex-situ populations of species is one of our six core conservation goals that will help maximise our impact in the fight against extinction.”
Endangered
The pileated gibbon species is listed as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is native to Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.
Pileated gibbons face a number of threats in the wild, most critically deforestation and habitat loss, as wild forest is converted into farmland or used for human developments. They are threatened by hunting for meat and the pet trade.
Families visiting the Midlands zoo are invited to experience ‘October Fiesta’ and discover the ‘Magic of Animals’, where they can immerse themselves in an array of enchanting entertainment and magical activities, learn about exotic animals from all over the world, and much more.
Inspired by the Mexican celebration Dia de Los Muertos, the special activities will run on selected dates until Sunday (November 5).
