Zoo announces birth of endangered white-handed gibbon

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A baby white-handed gibbon, an endangered animal, became the newest member of the family at a zoo earlier this month.

The Philadelphia Zoo announced their latest addition, “Eros,” a little boy named after the asteroid that orbits Mars, was born on March 14, just before keeper staff arrived.

ZooTampa welcomes first baby of 2024

The zoo also said that Eros is healthy and nursing from his mom. He joins the now family of five at the zoo: 35-year-old mom Phoenice, 34-year-old dad Mercury, 5-year-old brother Polaris, and 2-year-old sister Ophelia.

Three other white-handed gibbons were born to Phoenice and Mercury, but one is living at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio and the other two are at the Point Defiance Zoo in Washington.

“Philadelphia Zoo is proud to have such a strong history with breeding this endangered ape,” the Andrew J. Baker Curator of Primates and Small Mammals, Michael Stern, said. “Mom and dad have proven to be great parents over the years, and we can’t wait until the baby is a little older and our guests can watch him playing with big brother and sister.”

These animals, also commonly referred to as Lar gibbon, are endangered primates native to Southeast Asia. They are known to be acrobatic animals, as they swing from tree to tree.

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