Oregon Zoo welcomes baby saki monkey

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Story Published: Jul 29, 2009 at 4:28 PM PST

This is a press release courtesy of the Oregon Zoo

A healthy white-faced saki monkey was born at the Oregon Zoo in late April. The parents, 16-year-olds Jackie and Bam-Bam, have kept their baby close, so keepers have only recently ascertained that the baby is male.

The saki monkeys will be off exhibit indefinitely for the baby's welfare. Keepers want to give the family uninterrupted time to bond as Jackie and Bam-Bam teach their baby -- now named Marcelo -- how to run and climb. Currently, Marcelo spends most of his time hanging onto Mom's stomach.

"Jackie had a great pregnancy and birthing, and we are happy and excited about this new addition to the saki community," said Mike Marshall, primate keeper.

Keepers are closely monitoring Marcelo to ensure he grows into a strong adolescent, and so far, he's doing wonderfully. "We're pleased with Marcelo's development -- he's very active and alert," Marshall said.

Marshall describes Jackie as a "great mom" and Bam-Bam as a "protective father." Both parents are working hard to guarantee their baby's safety, health and happiness, he said.

White-faced saki monkeys are found in tropical rain forests in southern and eastern Venezuela, Guianas, and northeastern Brazil. These shaggy primates tend to be small, fast and shy. Although the monkeys are not endangered, their habitat is threatened by human destruction of rain forests.

"We hope Marcelo will inspire greater insight into wild saki monkeys and the deforestation of their natural habitat," said Mike Keele, interim zoo director. "People must care about an issue before they'll be moved to act, and it's pretty hard to resist Marcelo -- he's quite a charmer."

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