TWO NEW attractions at Dublin Zoo are making themselves known to the public. The monkeys, a white-crowned mangabey and a sulawesi crested macaque, were born within two weeks of each other last month at Dublin Zoo.
The youngsters are both part of a rare species belonging to both Indonesia and the south coast of Africa.
“It’s a black ball of fur with pink hands and face that flash when it’s not attached to it’s mother,” said team member Ciaran McMann, who is responsible for the macaque.
Both monkeys will become more visible to visitors now as they have started to venture away from their parents and rummage for food. “They live on two islands and have grass, bark and trees to climb and find cover in,” he added.
The babies cling to their mothers for the first one to three months of their life and because of this, it’s almost impossible to know what sex they are. “The girls have the binoculars out trying to guess,” McMann said.
A study of the rare species showed that the number of macaques in the African wild between 2004 and 2009 declined from over 300 per square metre to 20-60 today.
It’s not the first time a macaque has been born in Ireland and the father, Sumo, may yet extend his family before the summer is out. “He only arrived six months ago but we’re pretty sure two of the seven females on the island are also pregnant.” McCann said.
The newborn white-crowned mangabey is having a tougher time of it. “The mother is unfortunately inclined to hold it upside down and push it away.”, said team member Helen Clarke. This is mother Malull’s fifth baby and while the first two didn’t survive, the third and fourth thrived.
The mangabey is usually found in the forests of Ghana off the west coast of Africa. While the new primates have not yet been named, animals are usually named according to the region they originated from.