Endangered baby monkey born
Friday 2 November 2012
Tightly clutching on to mum, ZSL London Zoo’s tiny new arrival has visitors stopping in their tracks to coo at her cuteness.
© Shelia Smith
Ziggy, baby white-naped mangabey is just one week old, and is already proving popular with her auntie and siblings.
Born to mum Bella and dad Lucky, she spends most of her time being cuddled by mum – although auntie Leonie is very fond of the new addition and helps out with grooming the tiny monkey.
White-naped mangabeys are classed as endangered by the IUCN, with a decreasing population trend due to severe habitat loss and hunting, making Ziggy an extra-special addition to the European breeding programme. 
Copyright: Shelia Smith
ZSL London Zoo is at the forefront of breeding these endangered monkeys, as part of the European Endangered species Programme (EEP), and white-naped mangabey breeding at ZSL London Zoo is so successful that zookeeper Andrea Payne, who has worked with the primate group since its arrival in 2008, is researching the success to try to increase the numbers in other European zoos.
