SEATTLE, WA, 2016-Jun-20 — /Travel PR News/ — Woodland Park Zoo is excited to welcome its newest additions, six male François’ langurs and two white-faced saki monkeys (one male, one female).
The all-male troop of François’ langurs includes Ding, 17, Yaya, 5, Tang and Petey, 4, Zhang, 3, and Bouncy, 2. The troop was transferred from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. “Ding is the father of all five boys in the group,” said Martin Ramirez, mammal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “His sons often look to him for reassurance and to lead the way. He is the first to investigate and is normally followed by Bouncy, the youngest and most energetic. All of the langurs have very different personalities; some are more reserved and cautious while others are adventurous and confident. But they all have one trait in common—they love to play. It’s great having such an active group; they’re really fun to watch.”
The troop of monkeys can be seen in their outdoor exhibit at the zoo’s Trail of Vines for a limited number of hours a day as they adjust to their new home; hours will increase incrementally. “We have a wonderful large outdoor exhibit for them,” said Ramirez. “We installed large and tall perching structures for them to explore high up in their exhibit. François’ langurs are arboreal and want to be high up in the trees, so when you visit them be sure to look up.”
François’ langurs have a head-body length of 18 to 25 inches; their tail is almost one and a half times their body length. Their fur is black with white lines from the corners of the mouth, across the cheeks to the ears, closely resembling mutton chops. François’ langurs have a distinctively tall and pointed crest of black hair on their head. The inquisitive and endearing François’ langur face has a short muzzle and prominent brow ridges, giving the expression of permanent surprise.
The zoo’s other new addition is a pair of white-faced Saki: male Snuggle, 19, arrived from the Jacksonville Zoo; and female Babs, 6, arrived from the Santa Ana Zoo. The pair was introduced within a day of exiting their standard 30-day quarantine, which is part of the zoo’s quality care program, said Mark Myers, a curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “Their interaction has been very positive. All indications suggest they have developed a strong bond and are frequently in close proximity to one another.”
The pair inhabits a large indoor exhibit at the zoo’s Tropical Rain Forest. “Mammals are underrepresented in the Tropical Rain Forest building,” said Myers. “The large size of the exhibit and the small size of the saki monkeys made it a logical addition that allows us to showcase another mammal species. Since saki monkeys live in trees, we added new, larger branches to their exhibit to allow them more space to explore and move about.”
Saki monkeys are wholly arboreal; they have long legs which they use for jumping and clinging between vertical branches and trees. The males have a headbody length of 13 to 15 inches; females are slightly smaller. Saki monkeys have long, coarse coats and long, bushy tails. Males are black except for the face which is whitish to reddish. Females are predominantly brown to brownish-gray above, paler below, and have bright white to pale red stripes extending from each eye to the corners of the mouth.
White-faced sakis are found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela. They inhabit the understory and lower canopy of mature forests. Whitefaced saki have a relatively wide distribution and are not considered threatened or endangered.
François’ langurs are distributed from Southwestern China to northeastern Vietnam. They are listed as Endangered. There is reason to believe the François’ langur population has declined by at least 50% over the past 36 years due primarily to habitat loss and hunting.
Woodland Park Zoo is home to several primate species and is doing its part to protect primates through its support of several primate conservation projects around the world. Learn more about the zoo’s conservation efforts and what you can do to protect primates by visiting www.zoo.org/conservation/action.
Zoo hours through September 30: 9:30 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. daily. Admission fees through September 30: Adult (13-64) $19.95; Child (3-12) $12.25; Free for children 2 and under year round. Active, retired, and veteran U.S. military and their families, seniors and people with disabilities are eligible to receive a discount and zoo members receive free zoo admission year round. Parking: $6. For more information, visit www.zoo.org or call 206.548.2500.
Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting international standards for zoos in animal care, conservation and education programs. Woodland Park Zoo is helping to save animals and their habitats in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. By inspiring people to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.
Media contact: Gigi Allianic, Alissa Wolken 206.548.2550 | woodlandparkzoopr@zoo.org