Endangered creature gives birth to ‘vibrant orange’ baby at California zoo. See it

Keepers returning to work at the San Diego Zoo one morning in April discovered a “vibrant orange” surprise, officials said.

Meili, an endangered François’ langur monkey under pregnancy watch, had given birth overnight to a brightly colored infant, the zoo said in a May 17 news release.

Photos and a video show the mom and her orange-furred infant.

It’s the first birth of a François’ langur at the zoo since 2019, officials said. It’s the second baby for the 11-year-old Meili, whose first offspring, Chi, now lives in separate enclosure with another young monkey.

Meili and her new infant are healthy and doing well since the April 12 birth, officials said, crediting the new mom’s “gentle nature.”

“We are always thrilled when a birth goes smoothly and results in a healthy infant,” said Joe Milo, senior wildlife care specialist at the San Diego Zoo, in the release.

“This time, our established trust with Meili allowed us to perform abdominal ultrasounds, confirming and monitoring her pregnancy,” Milo said. She is the first monkey at the zoo trained to undergo ultrasounds.

François’ langur monkeys are native to southwestern China and northeastern Vietnam, the zoo said. Their infants are born with bright orange fur that darkens to black as they grow up.

The species is considered endangered, with about 2,000 individuals left, the zoo said.

Hunting, habitat loss and agricultural expansion have reduced the François’ langur population by half in the past 40 years.

The San Diego Zoo was the first facility in the western hemisphere to introduce the monkeys in 1980, the zoo said. There are now 71 François’ langurs in zoos across the United States.

“Given their low population numbers, this birth is crucial for the species’ survival, both in human care and globally,” Milo said in the release.

The 100-acre San Diego Zoo houses more than 12,000 rare and endangered animals from 680 species and subspecies, officials said.

This story was originally published May 22, 2024 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Endangered creature gives birth to ‘vibrant orange’ baby at California zoo. See it."