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Off the Leash Off the Leash

Rare monkey born at Sacramento Zoo

Only 35 of its kind exist in the U.S.

By Vetstreet Feb 7, 2013 4:06PM

By Amy Sinatra Ayres

The Sacramento Zoo welcomed a very special little girl late last month, when a Wolf’s guenon gave birth to her first child. The occasion is especially significant for the zoo, since there are only 35 Wolf's guenons in 11 U.S. wildlife parks.

Photo: Rare monkey born at Sacramento Zoo / Christa Klein, Sacramento ZooThe monkey was born to mom Mimi, who was born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007, and dad Eddie, who was born at the San Antonio Zoo in 1995. The two were just transferred to Sacramento in the fall.

Their keepers are hopeful that Mimi and Eddie learned parenting skills from their own parents. But because parenting can be tough for guenons, they have preparations in place in case there are any problems.

“Little is known about Wolf’s guenons because of their small population in zoos. In the wild, the dense forests in which they live make them hard to spot,” said Harrison Edell, Sacramento Zoo General Curator, in a blog announcement.

“With every birth, we learn more about this species’ biology, contributing to our overall knowledge about this species.”

This type of monkey is native to central Africa, where they live in forests and sometimes form groups with other primate species like Bonobos, colobus monkeys and other types of guenons.

More from Vetstreet:
6 bizarre eating habits of animals
The year’s 10 trendiest cat names
Playtime for baby monkey and kitten
10 most popular dog breeds that are biggest losers
10 surprising things about how animals sleep

Photo: Rare monkey born at Sacramento Zoo / Christa Klein, Sacramento Zoo

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