A rare baby monkey was born in Dierenrijk in Mierlo on Thursday. It concerns the West African chimpanzee, which is critically endangered in the wild. The gender, name and father of the monkey are not yet known, but the zoo is certainly very happy with it.
The little chimpanzee was born in front of the visitors, although mother Christa pulled some wood wool to prevent monkey watching. This makes the baby the eighth member of the chimpanzee family.
Dad unknown
The zoo will try to find out who the father is through a DNA test. Alpha male Pat (23) has the best chance of a match, according to zookeeper Stephan Rijnen, because he is the boss of the group. But he has competition from the younger Fahamu (14): “Because he likes to strike when the boss of the group is not paying attention.”
In the group it is not important who the father is, because male monkeys do not have father feelings. However, it is important for the zoo’s management program to closely monitor the health of the monkeys.
An African delicacy
In nature, the chimpanzee species is seriously endangered. They live in the forests of Africa, but their habitat is cut down for mining. The monkeys are also known as a luxury delicacy or as pets, although both are illegal.
Once the baby’s gender is revealed, the zoo fans get to choose from three names.