Our First Primate Birth!

Baby Goeldi's Monkey born at Northumberland Zoo

Last year we welcomed three new species of primate to the Zoo, including our Goeldi’s Monkeys, Trevor and Marge. On 27th April, our Keepers were thrilled to discover a new addition: a tiny baby Goeldi’s Monkey!

Spot the baby!

When they are born, these babies climb onto their mother’s back, clinging on tight to allow the mother to carry on jumping through the trees. They are very small at birth and often disappear into the thick fur of the mother, making them quite difficult to spot! The baby is yet to be sexed or named, but we expect it will stay attached to Marge for around 3 weeks before starting to get a little more adventurous - Trevor will also begin to help out after the first 3 weeks.

You can see the baby clinging to Marge's shoulder here.

These primates are classed as vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because wild populations in South America are decreasing due to loss of habitat, so every single birth as part of the breeding programme is very important - Marge is doing a great job as a first-time Mum! Our Rainforest Lookout is open every day at the Zoo if you want to try and spot the baby Goeldi’s Monkey. You can also watch some incredible footage of Marge, Trevor and the baby here at our YouTube channel.