San Francisco Zoo welcomes new baby mandrill monkey
SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Zoo is celebrating a new resident, as a male mandrill infant was born in the zoo on February 1st. The infant, born to 20-year-old female, "Lulu," and 12-year-old male, "Big Joe," is doing well and can already be seen in the zoo's outdoor mandrill habitat.
"We are thrilled with this latest birth as mandrills are considered a vulnerable species in the wild," said Tanya M. Peterson, CEO and Executive Director of San Francisco Zoological Society. "It's important for us to share the story of this charismatic primate species, whose populations have seen a 30% decline over the past 30 years, and what better way than to highlight great news, like this rare birth."
SF Zoo's mandrill group is a family affair, with Lulu and Big Joe living among their other recent offspring, four-year-old male, "Kiburi", two-year-old "Benny," and the current male offspring, who has not yet been named. Two unrelated older female siblings, "Pandora" and "Angie" make up the rest of the group.
Mandrills are the world's largest monkey, found in the subtropical forests of southwest Cameroon, western Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and southwest Congo. They are distinguished by bright facial colorations and brightly-colored rear end. Similar to a baboon, male mandrills have stocky, powerful bodies and muscular arms, and are significantly larger than the females.
The new infant was born after a gestational period of 167-176 days. Guests will no doubt see the new baby clinging tight to its mother's belly, and after a few months, will move to her back. Young reach independence at about 18 months, usually coinciding with the mother's next birth.
