Baby red-tailed monkey born at Zoo Atlanta
The Schmidt’s guenon infant with its mother Bam. (Zoo Atlanta)
ATLANTA - Meet the newest little addition to Zoo Atlanta.
Bam, one of the zoo's Schmidt’s guenon monkeys, gave birth to a baby on June 1.
The infant is the second baby for Bam and father JJ, who were paired together by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan to increase the population of the species.
Guenons, also known as red-tailed monkeys, live in the rainforests, woodlands, deciduous forests, and swamplands in middle Africa and are known for their large cheek pouches they use for storing food during foraging.
The species have chestnut-colored tails that can grow nearly 3 feet long and feature heart-shaped noses and distinctive greyish-blue coloration around the eyes.
While the wild Schmidt’s guenon population is stable, it is suffering habitat loss due to deforestation and is the target of hunters looking for bushmeat. The baby's dad was orphaned in the wild after a hunter killed his mother.
"Zoo Atlanta is thrilled to welcome the Schmidt’s guenon infant. Unlike many other African rainforest animals, Schmidt’s guenons are not currently classified as threatened, but the challenges they face in the wild are the same as those faced by other species," said Gina Ferrie, PhD, the vice president of the zoo's Collections and Conservation. "We look forward to watching this infant grow and help us tell that story, and we are excited for this new individual to support the growing AZA population."
Visitors will be able to see the baby and its sibling Flynn in the zoo’s Monkeys of Makokou complex in The Ford African Rain Forest.