This super-cute, yet-to-be-named Mandrill baby is the newest resident at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo. The newborn female is the latest born through a breeding program aimed to repopulate the endangered species. WCS announces:
The Bronx Zoo is one of only 26 zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums with mandrills and there are fewer than 100 individuals in the AZA population. This youngster is the first mandrill born at the Bronx Zoo since 2013.
Mandrills are one of the largest monkey species and among the most colorful. The dominance status of males can be determined by the relative brightness of their coloration – dominant males are brightly colored while subordinate males are paler. Females are smaller and less colorful, and normally breed with the most dominant males. The species has a gestation period of 6 to 7 months.
The baby is a female and was born to female, Sandy, and male, Nigel. Nigel came to the Bronx Zoo in 2016 to breed with the zoo’s females as part of the AZA’s Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program to maintain genetic diversity in zoo populations.
The Bronx Zoo’s troop is comprised of one adult male, several females, and their offspring. The female nurses and cares for the baby, which was born July 3, while the male’s primary role is to protect all troop members.
