Only gibbon couple in Türkiye with offspring

KOCAELİ

The only gibbon monkey couple in Türkiye protected in a special cage had a baby in Darıca Zoo in the northern province of Kocaeli.

The first baby of Josita and Kamari, the only gibbon monkey couple in the country, was born some two months ago while the new member of the gibbon monkeys, one of the critically endangered species, was greeted with joy at the zoo.

The offspring continues his life with its parents in a shelter specially prepared for the family

Mother gibbon Josita is fed according to the list set for her. The baby gibbon, which is currently fed only by its mother, never leaves its mother’s lap by nature.

Underlining that the baby gibbon is extremely important for the continuation of this species, Tuğçe Özgür, an official of Darıca Zoo, said they have been in the zoo as a couple for about six years.

The personnel at the zoo take care of them with great dedication, and this year they had a new offspring for the first time, Özgür stated.

“Our baby is about 2 months old. It stays on his mother’s lap all day. We cannot see its gender yet, as the mother feeds it by hugging her all the time,” she explained.

Pointing out that the offspring has not been named as its gender has not been learned yet, Özgür said that a name specific to Southeast Asia, its homeland, is being researched.

“We want to give a name specific to its homeland, so we have not decided yet. We will decide together with our caregivers and choose a beautiful name,” she explained.

“In Türkiye, these animals are the only ones in this zoo, and for the first time in our country, a new offspring was born,” Özgür noted.

The gibbon family became the center of attraction that visitors wanted to see the most, while the mother and her baby, who were walking around together all day, especially drew the attention of children.