A new squirrel monkey has been born at Wellington Zoo this week, the fourth baby this breeding season.
The zoo posted the news to social media on Wednesday saying, “primate keeper, Matty discovered that experienced mum, Kantuta, had finally given birth to a strong and healthy baby. She was even keen to show off her little one to Matty and jumped on her head while she was in the squirrel monkey bedrooms”.
The Zoo’s website says it’s home to a “large group of cheeky and curious Bolivian squirrel monkeys, who first arrived at the Zoo in 2010”.
Wednesday's new addition brings the total number of the troop to 16.
Ashleigh Howell, content and communications advisor for Wellington Zoo told 1 NEWS it will be several months before the sex and even the weight of the new addition can be revealed.
"The baby is looking really healthy. The team will remain hands-off for a few months until the little one is starting to move off mum. Then we will do a health check on the baby to microchip them and determine their sex.
"Once we know the baby’s sex we will give them a name that is unique to South America, where Squirrel Monkeys are found in the wild." Howell says.
There was also the added celebration of Easter for the primates to look forward to.
"The Primate Keepers made some fun Easter enrichment today for the squirrel monkeys and other primates," Howell says.
"These included Easter eggs made from a special monkey cake mixture that has lots of nutrients that the team rolled into egg shapes and then painted them in food safe dye and edible glitter."
SHARE ME