Johannesburg Zoo welcome new baby Gibbon

Johannesburg, July 31, 2006

There has been big excitement in the animal collection department at Johannesburg Zoo recently. The highly endangered siamangs gibbon gave birth to a yet to be named male gibbon baby.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes on the morning of the 3 June 2006 when I saw Dodi (dad) and Glastonbury (mommy) holding their offspring. The whole section was literally jumping for joy, as these two are some of the most loved species in the zoo” said Althea Guinsberg, section’s curator.

Both parents came from the United Kingdom, Dodi (dad) and Glastonbury (mommy) came from Twycross and Marwell Zoo respectively. Siamang gibbons are found in the mountains of Malay Peninsula, as well as in the Rain and Monsoon forests of Sumatra. They are famous with their inflatable throat sac which occurs during vocalization. You can hear them midday on most days in the Zoo.

Zoo visitors can see the proud parents and their new baby in the Gibbon Enclosure, next to small cats’ enclosure. Patience is needed to see them, as the parents tend to keep them to a more secluded part of the enclosure.
 

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