Monkey business at Terra Natura
THE GROUP of white- handed gibbons at Benidorm’s Terra Natura have a new addition to their family after a female called Amy gave birth to a baby last week.
The white- handed gibbon ( Hylobates lar), also known as the Lar gibbon is a species included in the CITES ( Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) list of especially vulnerable species.
White- handed gibbons are also part of a protection programme developed by EAZA ( European Association of Zoos and Aquaria).
The environmental conditions and the optimal degree of well- being of the park’s gibbons has permitted the birth of this new female, the fourth new member of the family at Terra Natura.
The first, a male called Pau, was born at the park in 2011.
The relationship between the new baby and its mother Amy is excellent, according to park staff.
Being an experienced mother, Amy doesn’t leave her baby for a minute, they noted.
At birth, the baby gibbon weighed about 300 grams and measured around 20 centimetres in height.
Park staff explained that she clings to her mother’s body with her long arms so when Amy moves through the trees of her enclosure, the baby remains perfectly attached to her mum, keeping warm and feeding when she is hungry.
In a few weeks, the baby will start to fend for herself and her mother will begin to share her care with the rest of the family group, currently formed by father Shantou and older brothers Pau, Cao and Tail.
By sharing the care, the emotional ties of the members of the family with the new baby are strengthened.
The main threats to the white- handed gibbons in the wild are massive and indiscriminate deforestation in their natural habitat and poaching affects the balance of their populations. This species is characterised by forming stable family groups and their parents are monogamous, spending all their lives together.
They are very territorial and emit high- pitched screams to defend their zones.