‘Precious’ arrival for Oakland Zoo

At the ripe old age of 16, Martijn welcomed his eighth child into the world, a bouncing brown-eyed boy born this month at the Oakland Zoo.

Martijn is a hamadryas baboon, and the latest addition to his family has given the Oakland Zoo the distinction of having one of the largest baboon troops of any zoo in the nation.

Baby Kito — whose name means “precious” in Swahili — was born Sept. 2, upping the members of his troop to 16, according to zoo officials.

Kito is his mother Krista’s fourth baby, and she’s gotten less and less protective as she becomes a more experienced parent, said Ashley Kelly, the zookeeper who works with the baboons at the Oakland Zoo.

“At this point, she’s already letting him walk away and leave her side, unlike her first, where she held onto him for a really long time,” Kelly said.

The animals forage in small groups by day and convene in bigger groups at night to sleep.

In the wild, hamadryas baboons can

“He’s very exploratory. He’s always trying to get away to go climb something.” Ashley Kelly, Oakland zookeeper

sleep in groups of more than 100, and live mainly in Ethiopia, according to the International Primate Protection League. Male baboons have “harems” consisting of several females who work together to raise the group’s offspring.

Martijn and Krista were both brought to their East Bay home from the Netherlands to increase the genetic diversity of the baboon population at U.S. zoos, according to the Oakland Zoo.

Dynamics in the troop are expected to shift as the young baboons age and get ready to start their own harems, Kelly said.

“We got two juvenile males when they were 2 years old. They won’t mature for another year or two, but they’re meant to breed with Martijn’s daughters, eventually,” she said. “Once they mature, they can take his daughters and start their own harems.”

In the meantime, the baboons keep cool by eating Popsicles and amuse themselves by stripping the bark off branches for snacks, Kelly said.

Baby Kito has already become the subject of fascination for his older siblings.

“The troop is very excited, especially all the juveniles, because they’re having a lot of fun trying to take him away for themselves,” Kelly said.

He’s already showing off an adventurous personality, too.

“He’s very exploratory,” said Kelly. “He’s always trying to get away to go climb something.”

Michael Short / Special to The Chronicle Surrounded by siblings, baby Kito, the newest member of Oakland Zoo’s baboon clan, snuggles with his mother, Krista, in their enclosure. The hamadryas troop now numbers 16, one of the nation’s largest.

Michael Short / Special to The Chronicle Wide-eyed baby baboon Kito gets a ride from his mom, Krista, through their Oakland Zoo habitat.