The leicestershire zoo has celebrated the arrival of a new baby monkey after it was snapped clutching on to its mother.
A baby De Brazza monkey was born on Wednesday 15th May at Twycross Zoo.
Born to Mum, Neith and Dad, Tom, the zoo’s new resident has been melting hearts under the watchful eye of its doting parents.
With the monkey being so young keepers at the zoo are unable to tell what the gender is yet but it joins a big family, with mum having already had three babies previously and dad fathering another 12.
De Brazza monkeys are Old World monkeys, a term describing monkeys from Africa and Asia.
Their diet is mainly fruit and seeds, but they will also eat leaves and insects. The main threats facing them are habitat loss, through the conversion of forest to farmland, and hunting.
They are hunted for meat, particularly in the western parts of their range and in East Africa they are also killed as an agricultural pest.
A day out with a difference, visitors are invited to come and see the new arrival from Saturday 25th May-Sunday 2nd June at Twycross Zoo’s first ever Festival of Animals event.
Families can pledge their support for conservation during arts and crafts, seal their pledge by making their mark on special animal-themed art installations, take part in Rachel the Ranger’s interactive animal-themed story time and sing-a-long, listen to daily conservation talks and lots more.
Tickets for the week cost just £11 per person, available online only. Limited availability, find out more and book online at www.twycrosszoo.org/events/may-half-term/.
