- Title: RUSSIA: RARE MANDRILL MONKEY BORN IN MOSCOW 'S ZOO
- Date: 1st February 2002
- Summary: (U6) MOSCOW, RUSSIA (FEBRUARY 1, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SCU BABY MANDRILL MONKEY DRINKING MILK FROM MOTHER'S BREAST 0.22 2. WIDE OF FATHER MANDRILL MONKEY WALKING ACROSS ENCLOSURE TOWARDS MOTHER 0.30 3. SCU FATHER MANDRILL MONKEY EATING 0.41 4. SCU DOMINANT WIFE 1.00 5. VARIOUS DOMINANT WIFE APPROACING NEW MOTHER, BITING HER AND SCARING HER AWAY 1.27 6. VARIOUS, MOTHER MANDRILL MONKEY AND BABY MONKEY PICKING FOOD UP OFF GROUND 1.46 7. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATALYA ISTRATOVA, MOSCOW ZOO SPOKESPERSON SAYING: "All three of our mandrills, all our adult animals of the group, are from other zoos, mainly Europe zoos and it is very important to maintain the rate of reproduction of the species in the zoos." 2.03 8. SMV FATHER MANDRILL LOOKING AT MAN THROUGH GLASS 2.11 9. WIDE OF , GUEREZA COLOBUS MONKEY FAMILY 2.18 10. VARIOUS, SIX-WEEK-OLD GUEREZA COLOBUS MONKEY WITH MOTHER (2 SHOTS) 2.31 11. VARIOUS, GUEREZA COLOBUS FAMILY RUNNING ON TREE 2.36 12. SCU BABY GUEREZA COLOBUS MONKEY 2.40 13. WIDE OF MOTHER AND BABY GUEREZA COLOBUS MONKEY 2.40 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 16th February 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Reuters ID: LVAIE6W72V7566A5IHLLYLMCL0A
- Story Text: A rare mandrill monkey has been born in the Moscow Zoo,
the latest addition in a mini-monkey boom for the Russian
capital.
A one-month old baby mandrill monkey was busy suckling
and discovering his mother's feet on Friday (February 1) at
Moscow zoo.
The eight-year-old mother still carries her newborn around
everywhere with her, but soon the young monkey will be walking
on his own.
It is a small success story for the endangered species who
are the largest type of monkeys.
Moscow zookeepers say they believe he has already made it
through a crucial period and hope that the rare monkey will
now have a healthy, long life of about 25 years.
The nine-year-old father looks on with a seemingly
indifferent yawn though the monkey keepers say they are
pleased that at least he doesn't threaten his heir apparent.
Their only major concern is the jealous first wife, who
holds the dominant female spot in their family.
She lost her newborn last year, and perhaps because of
this has been extremely jealous of the new mother and her
baby. The first wife chases the young mother around the cage
and sometimes tries to bite her.
It's a life on the run for the mother and her son--they
pick up corn from the cage floor in the middle of the domestic
dispute.
Zoo officials say they are observing the rivalry and will
only intervene if they think that the newborn's life is
threatened. For now, it is important that the new mother--and
perhaps even the jealous first wife--learn to raise a child.
Natalya Istratova from the Moscow Zoo says that it is
crucial to raise the capitivity-born mandrill population.
"Mandrill monkeys are endangered species, listed in the
appendix of the CITES [Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species opf Wild Fauna and Flora], so it is very
important to reproduce in zoos. All three of our adult
mandrills are from other zoos in Europe and it is very
important to maintain the reporduction of the species in the
zoos."
A new baby has also appeared in the neighbouring cage.
The six-week-old guereza colobus monkey is the latest
addition to this small family.
The newborn--the zookepers aren't sure if it is a boy or
girl--keeps close to its mother, but has been born in a more
harmonious family. These monkeys often care for the children
of one another. And in this small family there seems to be no
rivalry between the two mothers, each of whom now have one
child.
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