Oakland Zoo Celebrates Birth Of Baby Gibbon

Jun 09, 2023

OAKLAND, CA— The Oakland Zoo has it's first-ever newborn gibbon. A 12-year-old white-handed gibbon named Mei gave birth on Sunday. She is a first-time mother and her mate, 11-year-old Rainier, is a first time father.

Gibbons mate for life, and pairs become closely bonded, vocalizing duets in the mornings, according to the zoo. Mei and Rainier were introduced four years ago, sent to Oakland by other accredited zoos after the Association of Zoos and Aquariums deemed the pair a good match as part of the gibbon Species Survival Plan (SSP).

The plan is designed to ensure the sustainability of a healthy, genetically diverse, and demographically varied species population throughout AZA-accredited zoos in the U.S.

The zoo said that Mei is an attentive and protective mother, mostly concealing her baby from public view, nursing constantly, and carefully moving about her habitat while keeping her baby to her chest.

"This is our first gibbon birth at the Oakland Zoo, and our Animal Care staff has done tremendous work researching and preparing for every possibility. We are delighted that our gibbon family is doing so well," said Colleen Kinzley, who is in charge of Animal Care and Conservation at the Zoo.

To prepare for the bundle of joy, Animal Care staff have spent the past few months baby-proofing the gibbon island habitat, adding more cameras for observation, and installing ports in the night house for bottle feeding, if needed.

Gibbons are monogamous and live in nuclear families similar to human families of an adult pair and their offspring.

The new baby, whose name will be chosen after its gender is determined, will stay at Oakland Zoo for at least five years, if not permanently. A decision will be made at a later date using information available at that time.

Gibbons are endangered due to deforestation and the pet trade. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed them as endangered based on the belief that their numbers have decreased by more than 50 percent in the last 40 years. Gibbons are important to the environment as seed dispersers.

You may visit the white-handed gibbons at the Oakland Zoo's Tropical Rainforest area during normal Zoo operating hours.