Extremely rare primate gives birth in Ireland

Fota Wildlife Park is delighted to announce the birth of a rare baboon – a positive sign for primate conservation.

Fota Wildlife Park in County Cork, Ireland, has welcomed a new member. It is a male baboon, Mandrillus leucophaeus, born for the first time at the zoo as part of the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP). Photo: Michael O'Sullivan / OSM PHOTO.

Specifically, the baboon was born on July 18. It is the child of a mother named Lewa, 9 years old, and a father named Ekona, 10 years old. Photo: Michael O'Sullivan / OSM PHOTO.

The birth of this baboon is good news for conservation efforts as the number of wild baboons has declined by 50% in the past 30 years. Photo: Dotun55 – some rights reserved (CC BY-SA).

In the wild, the habitat range of the rare African baboon is just under 40,000 square kilometers and has been shrinking in recent years due to a variety of factors, including habitat loss. Photo: Joachim S. Müller.

The number of baboons in the wild is estimated to be between 3,000 and 4,000. Therefore, staff at Fota Wildlife Park are extremely happy to welcome the birth of a healthy baboon as part of the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP). Photo: David Barros Cardona.

"We are extremely excited to announce the birth of this baboon. This species is extremely rare and endangered, so we are truly honored to be involved in the conservation and care of this rare animal," said Teresa Power, head ranger at Fota. Photo: Nico Hernandez.

Teresa said Lewa is “doing a great job” of caring for her baby. She keeps the baby separate from Banni, the younger female, for safety. Banni is curious and attentive to the baby and is learning maternal behaviour from Lewa, with the hope that she will also give birth this year. Photo: Bernard DUPONT.

Newborn baboons have a distinctive feature: a tuft of black hair on their heads, which usually disappears when they are about 6 months old. Although only 2 weeks old, the baby monkey is already showing signs of hyperactivity, often trying to "hide" from its mother to explore , but Lewa is always quick to pull the baby closer. Photo: Zweer de Bruin.

When the baby monkeys are older and more independent, the rangers plan to reintroduce the entire Lewa family back to the troop. Photo: Bernard DUPONT.

Readers are invited to watch the video : Discovering many new species in the Mekong River Region. Source: THĐT1.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/bat-ngo-linh-truong-cuc-quy-hiem-vua-sinh-con-tai-ireland-post2149042534.html