Lake Superior Zoo Proudly Announced The Birth Of A Baby Monkey

The Lake Superior Zoo has some terrific news to report. It has been a rough few months at the zoo with the loss of two lion siblings, so they are so happy to announce the birth of a baby Angolan Colobus monkey. The baby was found on July 11th by one of the zoo keepers to (mom) Kero and (dad) Ndizi.

Kero had a baby at the zoo back in 2019 when she gave birth to Kasai who is now the proud big sister of the new sibling and likes to spend time grooming them. The zoo reports that Kero is doing a great job with the new baby.

According to a Press Release from Lake Superior Zoo:

Angolan Colobus monkeys are managed by the Species Survival Plan (SSP), a conservation strategy put in place by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Lake Superior Zoo participates with several species to responsibly breed vulnerable and endangered animals in human care with a mind to genetic diversity. The Angolan Colobus is listed as vulnerable. There are only 88 members of this species in AZA accredited zoos in the world, four of them are here at Lake Superior Zoo.

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These monkeys in the wild are found in the Congo Basin, to the south and northeast of the Congo River, and typically live in troops of up to 25 but may gather in groups of over 300 animals. That is a huge family! Unfortunately, this particular species like so many others faces threats from "habitat reduction, hunting and trapping, and conversion of land to agricultural use."

Guests to the zoo are able to see the new baby, on exhibit right now and are typically clinging to Kero. Baby Angolan Colobus monkeys are born all white but begin to darken around their eyes, and slowly change to the color black over six months. The name and gender of the baby will be announced on Thursday, August 4^th at 10:15 in a fun Facebook live event!