The Newest, Cutest Baby Animals from the World's Zoos & Aquariums

Minnesota Zoo Hand-Rears a Baby Gibbon

Posted in , ,

The Minnesota Zoo’s three week old White-Cheeked Gibbon infant is doing well despite being rejected by her mom. The Zoo is celebrating her progress by releasing behind-the-scenes footage from a recent feeding session. Just like human babies, baby gibbons are completely dependent on mom in the early months of life so zoo staff are working around the clock to hand-rear the little girl. The new baby gibbon will not be on exhibit for several months to ensure proper feeding, rest, and care.

GibbonInfant2010_MNZoo (Small)

Baby gibbon minnesota zoo 1

Apparently baby gibbons sound like R2D2!

White-cheeked gibbons are one of eleven species of gibbon and are critically endangered. The infant, born December 27, 2009, is being hand-raised by Minnesota Zoo animal care staff because her mother “Tia” has shown little interest in her since birth. Weighing 515 grams at birth,she now weighs 670 grams – showing her keepers that she has a good appetite. Zookeepers are putting mother and infant together twice a day for 30 minutes in hopes that the mother will start to show some interest. The infant, who is not yet named, is housed directly next to “Tia” and father “Bailey” so they can see each other.

GibbonInfant2010 015 (Small)

This is the 10th gibbon born at the Minnesota Zoo, which is a participating member of the white-cheeked gibbon Species Survival Plan (SSP). She is the first female white-cheeked gibbon born in North America since 2006 and the fourth since 2002.The Minnesota Zoo is located in Apple Valley, just minutes south of Mall of America. For more information, call 952.431.9500 or visit mnzoo.org.

Baby gibbon minnesota zoo 2

6 responses to “Minnesota Zoo Hand-Rears a Baby Gibbon”

  1. Shakatany Avatar
    Shakatany

    So cute. I love the whistling noises she makes. I hope one day her parents will accept her. Best wishes to the little darling.

    Reply
  2. frangipanni Avatar
    frangipanni

    Aw-w-w-w.

    Reply
  3. Adrienne Avatar
    Adrienne

    Wow, they should totally name her Artoo! Good job for the zookeepers. I love her long fingers and the fact that she clings to her teddy bear.

    Reply
  4. Christie Avatar
    Christie

    I want her!!! Sooooo sweet and cute. Sending good thoughts for her continued healthy growth and that her mum and dad will accept her so that she can be raised as a proper baby gibbon with them.

    Reply
  5. Traci Avatar
    Traci

    Oh.
    My.
    God.
    I did not know it was possible to weep from the cute.

    Reply
  6. john flaherty Avatar
    john flaherty

    I live in a Penang condo which faces a protected forest area of dense tropical trees. My unit is on the 4th floor with a direct view of old trees devoid of leaves. This particular gibbon family spends a lot of time in it when not in the dense folige. They are plainly visible in the afternoon and evening hours. We have seen two mothers with babies over the past few months. The babies are a golden color and stand out against the brown/black fur of the mothers. Faces too cute to believe! Our binoculars bring them up close and allow us to see details otherwise lost from regular viewing. We can tell when they are in the trees by the dramatic movement of branches. At first we thought other monkeys were in the area from vocal sounds but not so. It’s other gibbons vocalzing to mark territory. For the next 4 months we will be observing the gibbon familes before returning to USA.
    It’s like having a living zoo in your front yard! What a special treat

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Discover more from ZooBorns

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading