Conservationists are celebrating the birth of one of the world’s most endangered primates at a UK zoo.
The rare Sulawesi crested macaque was born on May 16th at the Chester Zoo to proud new mom Rumple and dad Mamassa.
Adorable photographs show the new arrival clinging on to its mother as it made its first outside appearance at its enclosure at the UK’s largest and most-visited zoo.
The species is listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and fewer than 5,000 remain in their natural habitat on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
Though the adults’ faces are jet black, the babies are born with a buckskin leather tone that highlights their beautiful eyes.
“Sulawesi crested macaques are highly sociable animals that live in large groups, and so the new baby is currently being passed around by mom Rumple to several other females, who are all sharing parenting duties, which is great to see,” explained Mark Brayshaw, head of mammals at the zoo.
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“Every birth is a step forward for the international conservation breeding program that’s working to safeguard the future of this critically endangered species. It also provides an opportunity to learn more about their behavior, biology, and social structures, which all help to inform the efforts to protect the species globally.”
Sulawesi is the world’s 11th largest island at about 70,000 square miles and is located east of Borneo. A large percentage, 62% (79 species) of the mammals on the island are endemic, meaning that they are found nowhere else in the world.
WATCH the newborn below…
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