Скачать или смотреть Birth of Endangered Siamang Provides Early Holiday Surprise for the San Diego Zoo

A 37-year-old siamang named Eloise is photographed holding her infant after giving birth on exhibit, as volunteers and guests looked on, providing the San Diego Zoo with its first siamang infant in more than 12 years.

Siamangs, like many of the animals at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, take part in the Species Survival Plan (SSP), a breeding program designed to ensure healthy, genetically diverse populations of threatened and endangered species through a network of accredited zoos. Eloise and 35-year-old male Unkie had already been successful parents, and their genes are well represented in the zoo siamang population, so the pair’s breeding had been restricted for a number of years by chemical contraception. For that reason, the arrival of their newest youngster this week was a welcome surprise for animal care staff.

Animal care staff plan to perform a full exam on the infant in the months ahead, and will be able to determine its gender at that time. Currently, Eloise, Unkie, and their newest addition are doing well, and Zoo guests can visit the trio in their habitat along Orangutan Trail, inside the Zoo’s Lost Forest.