South Bend – On Tuesday, Oct. 11, the Potawatomi Zoo’s troop of Eastern Black and White Colobus Monkeys added a little bundle of joy.

A new baby monkey was born to second-time mother, Johari, 14, and first-time father, Hank ,6.

While the veterinary staff has yet to perform a physical examination to determine the gender, the unnamed little one appears to be strong, alert and nursing.

The troop also consist of big sister Moja, who was born at Philadelphia Zoo in 2013 to mom Johari. Both mom and daughter came to Potawatomi Zoo in June of 2016 on a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan where they were introduced to Hank.

Moja is gaining great maternal experience by holding and caring for her new sibling.

“You can see the whole troop at the Old World Monkey exhibit in the Africa area of the Zoo” said Marcy Dean, executive director. “You can tell when Moja is holding baby as she seems more playful with it versus when mom has baby. Johari keeps baby much closer to her body to shield and protect it.”

Black and white colobus monkeys are born with completely white fur and a pink face. At around 6 months of age, the infant will start to gradually change into the adult coloring with primarily black bodies and white fur encircling their faces and half of their tails.  Colobus monkeys are found throughout the forests of east and central Africa.

The species is classified as “Least Concern” by the IUCN Red List. Even though the black and white colobus population is stable, there are still threats that exist in the wild. The IUCN states, “This species is threatened in parts of its range by habitat loss through deforestation for timber, conversion to exotic forest plantations and conversion to agricultural land.”

The birth at Potawatomi Zoo marks the first primate birth in 3 years.

Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Potawatomi Zoo exceeds the standards for zoos in animal care and quality of life, conservation, and education programs, representatives said. For more information, go to potawatomizoo.org.