Milwaukee County Zoo welcomes new De Brazza's monkeys known for their white beards
It's a fitting addition during the Christmas season.
The Milwaukee County Zoo welcomed two new additions to their Primates of the World habitat in December: De Brazza's monkeys, whose white facial hair resembles a beard that Santa Claus would be proud of.
"With their white belly, speckled grayish coat and black extremities, they have an elegant appearance," the Zoo noted in a news release announcing the primates' arrival in their new habitat after they cleared the standard 30-day quarantine period.
Five-year-old Holly came from the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and four-year-old Hugo came from the Bramble Park Zoo in Watertown, South Dakota, with the hope that they might breed together in Milwaukee.
“We were looking to add a new species to the Primates of the World building, and De Brazza’s monkeys were a great fit," Trish Khan, curator of apes and primates, said in the release. "With this young pair ... that are recommended to breed, we can continue to contribute to species conservation and management through participation in the AZA Species Survival Plan. The SSP helps ensure the survival of selected species in zoos and aquariums, most of which are threatened or endangered in the wild."
De Brazza's monkeys, which are native to central Africa, are considered a species of least concern on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List, but they face threats from hunting and habitat loss, mainly deforestation. The mammals live in trees and eat fruit, leaves, flowers and insects. Males weigh up to 15 pounds, with females weighing up to 9. Their lifespan is 20 to 26 years.
Hugo and Holly are still getting to know each other, according to Khan, so if and when they breed is up to them, "but it could happen at any point." So far they are "utilizing every inch of their habitat," looking out the glass walls to the woods and observing the public up close, according to the animal care team. When the weather is warmer in the spring, they'll be able to explore their outdoor habitat.
It's been a homecoming of sorts for Hugo, whose father, Harry, lived in the Milwaukee County Zoo from June 2012 to September 2014 while the Bramble Park Zoo was preparing a new space for him. After Harry went back to Bramble Park, he sired Hugo.
The Zoo is home to 14 total primate species including four critically endangered species: red-ruffed lemur, orangutan, western lowland gorilla and cotton-top tamarin.
Holly and Hugo aren't the only new kids on the zoo block this year. A female reticulated giraffe was born at the zoo in May, then a male calf in August (the first giraffe born outdoors in front of visitors since the 1990s). In October the zoo's four-month-old red panda cub, Cinder, made her debut in her outdoor exhibit. Other new additions this year include a male Prevost’s squirrel, three female scimitar-horned oryx (which are extinct in the wild), six black-tailed prairie dogs, two heifers in the cow barn, and maybe before Dec. 25, a partridge in a pear tree.
Contact Chelsey Lewis at clewis@journalsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter at @chelseylew and @TravelMJS and Facebook at Journal Sentinel Travel.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County Zoo welcomes De Brazza's monkeys known for beards
