ZSL London Zoo gets Tango’d
Thursday 29 September 2011
Rare ginger monkey born at ZSL London Zoo. There’s a bright new addition at ZSL London Zoo – a neon orange baby monkey.
© ZSL
Keepers at the Zoo were delighted when first-time mum Lu Lu, a rare Francois Langur, gave birth to the flame-haired baby on September 1st. Whilst mum, Lu Lu, and dad Neo, are dark black in colour the baby, nicknamed Tango, is covered head-to-toe in bright orange fur, making it quite tricky to see the family resemblance.
Zookeeper Kathryn Sanders said: “Baby Tango is currently rocking the redhead look, but it won’t actually be ginger for very long.” She added: “Its fur will begin to darken at around three months of age, and they are usually completely black by the time they reach six months old.”
The yet-to-be sexed youngster spends most of its time snuggled up to mum, but in the same way the females behave in the wild, “auntie” Lee Lee also helps out with babysitting duties. Francois Langurs are one of the world’s rarest monkeys, and originate from northeast Vietnam and China. Classed as critically endangered, their populations are declining rapidly because of habitat loss.
