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Conchita: An international star is born
Thursday 8 May 2008
Even though she's only a month old, Conchita, ZSL London Zoo's new baby white-naped mangabey monkey, is already a global hit.
© ZSL - Lyndsay Gale
In less than a week the footage of Conchita on ZSL’s YouTube channel has already received over 200,000 views. Her popularity helped catapult ZSL Video to number one in this week’s UK Directors channel, beating both the BBC and ITN News. She also has the special honour of being YouTube’s most discussed Pets & Animals story of the week.
Unlike many UK film and TV stars, Conchita has had no trouble cracking the international market, as the world has fallen in love with ZSL London Zoo’s latest star. The video of her playing with her beloved teddy bear and being fed also hit the number one Pets & Animals video spot in Germany, Australia, Canada, Ireland, India, New Zealand, Spain, Mexico, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, Poland, Brazil, Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Deforestation and hunting has decimated the few populations of white-naped mangabey monkeys (Cercocebus atys lunulatus) left in the wild, leaving this species of primate struggling for survival. Therefore, each individual monkey is incredibly precious.
As Conchita is only the second white-naped mangabey ever born in the UK, what ZSL London Zoo learns from rearing her and introducing her to the adult group will provide the global Zoo community with vital help understanding these monkeys and aid the conservation effort.
The white-naped mangabey monkey troupe can be found in Gorilla Kingdom.
Conchita Video: Prelude to Conchita Diaries
