More monkey business!
What’s black and white and read all over? A newspaper - article about the birth of a black-and-white colobus monkey at Fota Wildlife Park!
Born on 30 October to parents Freya and Juggs, the adorable infant has already been spotted under the watchful care of their big sister and babysitter Frida who was born in 2024.
While the baby is becoming increasingly active and mobile in recent weeks, it still sports the distinctive white infant coat, which will gradually develop into the species’ striking black-and-white colouring as it matures.
As always with new arrivals, the public is being invited to help choose a name for the newest member of the colobus family, with name suggestions accepted via fotawildlife.ie/news.
Lead ranger at Fota Wildlife Park, Teresa Power, said the arrival of the young colobus, whose gender is not yet known, has been met with great excitement.
She said: “The arrival of this baby colobus is a powerful reminder that life continues behind the scenes, even while our gates were closed to the public for ten weeks between 14 October and 20 December.
“The birth underscores the significant survival challenges facing primates, the vital role of species breeding programmes, which are cooperative enterprises between many zoos and wildlife parks in Europe and the UK, and also the wide-ranging conservation initiatives carried out at Fota Wildlife Park.”
The infant’s mother Freya, born in December 2017, arrived at Fota Wildlife Park in January 2022 from La Palmyre Zoo in France. Father Juggs, born in November 2007, has been a resident at Fota since June 2011, having transferred from Belfast Zoo as part of a European breeding programme.
Black-and-white colobus monkeys are native to the forests of Central Africa and are known for their striking black and white fur and long, flowing tails. The species has been hunted for centuries because of its unique coat. It is also threatened by agricultural developments and timber production within its native habitats.
The newest member of the colobus monkey family can be seen at Fota Wildlife Park in the shared colobus and meerkat habitat, located just inside the main entrance.
Those who submit a name suggestion will be in with a chance of winning a year-long conservation pass to Fota Wildlife Park. Name submissions should a relevant meaning or link to the species and can be made through the online form at fotawildlife.ie/news.