SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Zoo is celebrating a new resident when a male mandrill infant was born at the zoo on February 1. The infant, born to 20-year-old woman “Lulu” and 12-year-old man “Big Joe,” is doing well and can already be seen in the zoo’s outdoor mandrill habitat.
“We are excited about this recent birth as mandrills are considered an endangered species in the wild,” said Tanya M. Peterson, CEO and executive director of the San Francisco Zoological Society. “It’s important to us to share the story of this charismatic primate species whose populations have declined by 30% in the last 30 years and what better way than to highlight great news like this rare birth.”
SF Zoo’s Mandrill group is a family affair, with Lulu and Big Joe living amongst their other youngest offspring, four-year-old male “Kiburi”, two-year-old “Benny” and the current male offspring, who has not yet been named. Two unrelated older female siblings, “Pandora” and “Angie”, make up the rest of the group.
Mandrills are the world’s largest monkeys and are found in the subtropical forests of southwestern Cameroon, western Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and southwestern Congo. They are characterized by light facial coloring and a colorful rump. Similar to a baboon, male mandrills have stocky, powerful bodies and muscular arms, and are significantly larger than females.
The new child was born after a gestation period of 167-176 days. Guests will no doubt see the new baby snuggled up against his mother’s tummy and pulled onto her back after a few months. Cubs achieve independence around 18 months, which usually coincides with the mother’s next birth.
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