A "striking orange" baby monkey has been born in a wildlife park in Ireland after a year of conservation work to support breeding among these endangered animals. Now the park is offering you the chance to help name this special specimen.
The François' langur monkey was born at the Fota Wildlife Park on November 22. "We hope the birth of this baby will help raise awareness about the critical need for conservation efforts for the François' langur," the park's lead ranger, Teresa Power, said in a statement. "There is a wild population of 1,400 to 1,650 in China and fewer than 500 left in Vietnam."
The species is listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with experts estimating their population has dropped by half in the last 40 years. Habitat loss and hunting represent major threats to these animals, as well as natural predators.
As part of the European Endangered Species breeding program to support the conservation of these species, the Fato Wildlife Park took in two females and a male in 2022. "Since the trio of Mei, sister Kaili and adult male, Shinobi arrived from their respective zoos in late 2022 the animal care team here have been working with them to carefully integrate them into the breeding group," Power said.
"We have been keeping a close eye on the group in the hope that they would successfully breed. The anticipation has been building as we monitored Mei's behaviour over the months leading up to the birth and we are thrilled to announce the safe arrival of this endangered baby monkey at Fota Wildlife Park."
The new parents have their work cut out for them as their infant tries to copy the adults' behavior. "The baby is already keeping the group on their toes, trying to copy the adult behaviors," Power said. "The youngster is amusing the animal care team as it tries to copy its mother Mei, especially when it comes to grabbing snacks during mealtimes!"
In the wild, François' langurs live in groups of 4 to 27 individuals in a matriarchal society, consisting of one male, numerous adult females, and their babies. The males take no part in parenting, while the other females take turns babysitting their nieces and nephews. "Kaili, the proud aunt, has taken on the role of babysitter, this is what's known as 'allomothering', where the females in the group will help to care for and raise the young," Power said.
The baby does, of course, stand out from the rest of the group due to its bright orange coat color, which the park rangers described as "striking": "The baby's coat is expected to transition from orange to black over the next few months, which is the natural development of Francois Langur monkeys," Power said.
To raise awareness for this vulnerable species, the park are offering the public a chance to name the baby langur. You can submit your suggestions on the Fota Wildlife Park website.
Do you have an animal or nature story to share with Newsweek? Do you have a question about endangered species? Let us know via nature@newsweek.com.
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Pandora Dewan is a Senior Science Reporter at Newsweek based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on science, health ... Read more
