FRESNO — Fresno Chaffee Zoo is excited to welcome two new baby colobus (Colobus guereza) to the zoo. “The Zoo is very excited to add two new members to our colobus troop,” said General Curator Lyn Myers. “We cannot wait to see these babies grow and develop with the help of their family.”
When a colobus is born, all the females in the troop work together to care for the baby. Infants are born covered in white fur until about three months old and hang onto their mother’s chest for safety. The Colobus guereza species conservation status is listed as a least concern according to IUCN Red List.
These births were a recommendation from the AZA Species Survival Plan which helps to ensure genetically diverse and sustainable populations within AZA member zoos and aquariums.
Colobus are one of the many species the zoo supports through the Fresno Chaffee Zoo Conservation Fund. The conservation fund helps support the New Nature Foundation, which works to protect the habitat for black-and-white colobus and many other species around the Kibale National Park in Uganda.
Image by Jiří Mikoláš.
Guests will be able to see the two colobus babies periodically throughout the spring/summer.
About Fresno Chaffee Zoo
Centrally located in Fresno, California, Fresno Chaffee Zoo is a 39-acre Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited zoo. It is home to over 200 different species and features wow exhibits—from Sea Lion Cove to African Adventure — that teach guests about animals all across the globe and the conservation efforts to protect them. The zoo welcomes over 800,000 guests annually, offering a world-class guest experience and conservation education to all who visit. The mission of Fresno Chaffee Zoo is to inspire wonder of our natural world, provide an engaging learning environment, and create a passion for conservation.
“Fresno Chaffee Zoo inspires wonder of our natural world, provides an engaging learning environment, and creates a passion for conservation.”
“You monkeys only think you’re running things.” — Dennis McKenna
