A week ago a replenishment happened in the Winnipeg Zoo - a baby white-handed gibbon was born.
The sex of the baby is unknown, as it spends all the time with its parents and the zoo staff did not have the opportunity to communicate with it.
"Maya and Samson appeared to be a really good match right from the start and we have been looking forward to this possibility for some time, so this is very exciting news for our staff, volunteers and visitors," said Grant Furniss, senior director of the Zoo.
Zoo workers plan to show the baby to the public on February 14.
"Maya is proving to be an attentive mother and the baby is doing well, so the gibbons have now been given access to their indoor habitat, which is currently closed to visitors," Furniss said.
Many years ago gibbons pleased visitors of the Zoo all the time. They were very funny and sociable. However, in 2011 it was decided to transport them to the Ontario Zoo. After that, the Assiniboine Park Zoo's made a big reconstruction and returned Maya and Samson in 2017. Maya is now 8 years old, Samson is 15.
White-handed gibbons are an endangered species, and Zoo workers try their best to continue their lineage. They have no tail, they have black and white fur and are considered the fastest among other gibbons.