Two baby monkeys first to be born in 10 years at their zoo

By Bradley Stokes via SWNS

Keepers at Chester Zoo got a double shock after two baby mandrills were born to different mums just five weeks apart - following a wait of more than a decade.

The adorable pair are the first of their kind to be born at the zoo in over 10 years and arrived into the world on October 27 and November 23 last year.

The first to arrive was born to 10-year-old mum Brio with the second infant arriving to mum, Obi, 17, and both are fathered by the same dad - 11-year-old Kamau.

(Chester Zoo/SWNS)

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Staff are yet to determine the sexes of the new arrivals, as when mandrills are born they cling tightly to their mums for the first few months of life.

Siobhan Ward, primate keeper at Chester Zoo, said: “You know what they say about buses.

"To have two baby mandrills, born within weeks of each other, after more than 10 years, is just incredible.

"The two new arrivals will only spend a few months at their mums’ sides before gaining enough confidence to explore on their own with the rest of the group.

“Mum Brio was actually the last baby to be born at the zoo more than a decade ago and, as a first-time mum, she’s doing a wonderful job and has adapted to parenthood brilliantly.

"Both mums, Brio and Obi, will have the rest of the mandrill horde to help care for their new babies, as it’s a real group effort, but once they branch off and start to explore they’ll certainly be kept busy.”

Mandrills are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of threatened species, with numbers in the wild having declined significantly in recent years.

Experts say the biggest threat the species faces is habitat loss, as the forests they live in continue to be cut down for timber and agricultural use.

Mandrills - which are the world’s largest monkey species and are native to a region of Western Africa - are also hunted for the bushmeat trade.

Dr. Nick Davis, assistant curator of mammals at the zoo, added: “Like many primate species, mandrills live in large and very complex groups made up of strict hierarchies.

"Our primate experts, using their decades of experience and know-how, have closely monitored the group over the years to understand its delicate balance.

"Now, Kamau, a new dominant male who has been carefully integrated with the other 10 members, appears to have really hit it off with the females.

"The two youngsters he has sired will now join a coordinated breeding program with other leading conservation zoos and add to the important insurance population for this charismatic species.”