Baby baboon is new arrival at Dudley Zoo
Keepers have another mouth to feed at Dudley Zoo following the birth of a gelada baboon.
The youngster, named Dendi, is the second baby for 11 year-old Addis, who is also mum to three year-old Billie and joins the Baboons on the Bank group.
Visitors can already spot the little one closely tucked up to mother in their award-winning half-acre natural hillside enclosure on the lower zoo site, which is home to father, Ebano, aged 13, females Jimma and Tana and youngsters Ambo and Gimbi.
Primate Keeper, Jade Reddall, said: “We’re delighted that the latest addition to our Baboons on the Bank arrived just in time to be officially counted in this year’s census.
“Addis is an experienced mum and is doing a fantastic job with her newborn and is also making sure her eldest son, Billie, isn’t feeling left out either with the baby, as we’ve spotted her giving him plenty of cuddles too.”
Dendi was born on December 21. The zoo’s breeding geladas form part of a European Endangered Species Programme. Gestation is usually around six months and mothers will carry the baby on their stomach for the first few weeks, before transferring it to their back. The youngster will begin to gain more independence around five-months-old.
This week keepers are busy with the annual audit. The census forms part of the licensing requirements of all UK zoos and wildlife parks.
