Oregon Zoo welcomes new baby monkey
From the Oregon Zoo
After a year of “family leave,” the Oregon Zoo’s saki monkeys are back home in their Amazon Flooded Forest exhibit, and they’ve got a new addition to show off. Born June 9, the baby monkey is a male and is still awaiting a name. Keepers say he is happy holding onto Mom as he becomes acclimated to his new home.
“We have put down wool straw as a precaution in case he falls in the exhibit,” said Amy Dunning, zoo primate keeper. “He is showing signs of being very healthy. Jackie had a successful pregnancy and now the little guy is nursing and aware of his surroundings.”
Keepers first saw the monkey the morning of June 9. He had been born during the night to 17-year-old parents Jackie and Bam-Bam. The new monkey also has an older brother, Marcelo, born last April.
“The baby stays close to Jackie’s belly, and he is starting to become comfortable on her back,” Dunning said. “In about four months we will see him swinging and moving around on his own.”
The zoo’s saki monkeys had been off exhibit since Marcelo’s birth last April to allow uninterrupted time for family bonding. They are now back in their Amazon Flooded Forest home, interacting with zoo visitors and keeping a close watch on the newest member of the family.
White-faced saki monkeys are found in tropical rain forests of southern and eastern Venezuela, Guianas, and northeastern Brazil. The shaggy-tailed primates tend to be fast and shy.
“The saki monkey is threatened by the deforestation and destruction of vital rain-forest areas,” said Kim Smith, zoo director. “I hope the zoo’s newest saki monkey will inspire visitors to commit to the conservation and sustainability of this animal’s natural habitat.”
The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission of inspiring the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Washington’s pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies, western pond turtles, Oregon spotted frogs and Kincaid’s lupine. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.
The zoo opens at 8 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Visitors who travel to the zoo via MAX receive $1.50 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.
General admission is $10.50 (ages 12-64), $9 for seniors (65 and up), $7.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo’s Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $2 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.
