At the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, a golden langur monkey cub, the daughter of monkey Liz and monkey Ontario, was recently born after a pregnancy that lasted about six months.
As is customary among langur monkeys, the care of the young puppy is shared by all members of the langur group, and the cub can often be seen in the hands of another monkey - and not of its mother. The new puppy joins a group of six individuals in the garden.
Langur cubs are born with golden fur, which changes color to black as many of the monkeys of this species mature. The light coat is designed to ensure that adult langurs notice the puppies at all times and keep them safe.
Visitors to the Biblical Zoo (archive), photo: uncredited
Golden langur monkeys live in the rainforests of the Indonesian island of Java. They feed on leaves, flowers and insects. Since they are endangered, in 1999 it was determined that the langur monkey is a protected animal. Experts estimate that their numbers in the wild have declined by more than 30% in recent decades due to illegal trade, hunting and the destruction of their natural habitat due to rainforest degradation.
The langur monkey group at the Biblical Zoo is part of the European Association of Zoos' (EAZA) conservation and breeding programme, in which it participates, in order to create a strong and established "backup" population for the wild population.
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