- Title: ISRAEL: Baby baboon born to a newly-structured hierarchy group
- Date: 30th December 2005
- Summary: (L!1) HAIFA, ISRAEL (DECEMBER 26, 2005) (REUTERS) FEMALE BABOON NATASHA CARRYING HER WEEK-OLD NEW BORN BABOON CLOSE OF NATASHA HOLDING BABY BABOON WIDE OF MOTHER, FATHER AND BABY BABOONS CLOSE OF BABOON'S FOOD BOX VETERINARY THROWING FOOD AT BABOONS VARIOUS OF MOTHER BABOON RUNNING UP ROCKS WITH BABY BABOON BABOONS EATING CLOSE OF FEMALE BABOON EATING VARIOUS OF ADAM, MA
- Embargoed: 14th January 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Israel
- Country: Israel
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVAD4S7MTDRMD4XNTPB65Q1Y0Y03
- Story Text: Changes in the hierarchy of a baboon troop living in an Israeli zoo allowed the survival of a new baby baboon, delivered last week.
The Haifa zoo in northern Israel celebrated the birth of a new born baboon of the Hamadryas family, after a swift in internal hierarchy which allowed a younger male to replace the former leader of the group and to mate with the female baboons to deliver babies.
For the past seven years the group of baboons living in the coastal city of Haifa's zoo did not see any newborn baboons delivered. The former leader of the troop, Adam, was castrated and unable to mate. His old age also affected his performance as a the lead male of the group. But only recently Adam allowed a younger male in the group, Nathan, to take over his position.
The new troop leader mated with one of the female baboons - Natasha, and the couple delivered a healthy baby baboon last week.
The zoo's veterinary, Dr. Ayelet Shmueli said the change in hierarchy was "a very long process which took more than two years."
"In the new hierarchy everything is fine now and we are expecting more deliveries, I hope," adding that as long as Adam was in power he did not allow to have new borns in the group.
Female baboon pregnancy lasts around six months. The newborn baboon usually weighs one kilogram and is coloured black. Females tend to be the primary caretaker of the young.
The average weight of baboons is approximately 14 to 40 kg, depending on the species, with females typically being almost half the size of males. The sexes of Hamadryas baboons also affect their colour. Males are silver-white coloured and have a pronounced mane, while females are maneless and tend to be brown.
The Hamadryas Baboons, the largest members of the monkey family, live mostly in the Middle East and Africa, in semi-desert areas.
Haifa zoo is located on the slopes of Mount Carmel, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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