The endangered siamang is a black furred gibbon which is native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Gibbons are a type of primate that live in subtropical and tropical rainforests.
Dublin Zoo said the baby was born overnight on Sunday August 2nd to parents Cahaya (10) and Luca (19).
The baby is healthy and has been observed suckling.
Before this arrival, Cahaya and Luca were the only siamang gibbons at Dublin Zoo, with Cahaya arriving in 2014 and Luca in 2018.
They forged a strong connection from the very first day they met, and this healthy baby is exceptionally welcome news for everyone involved with the zoo.
Endangered species
Ciaran McMahon, team leader at Dublin Zoo said:
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome this siamang gibbon baby to Dublin Zoo. The species is listed as endangered so every birth is extremely important.
"Cahaya and Luca are the most loving couple, very attentive to each other’s needs, and we have no doubt that they will make excellent parents.
“The baby is doing well and visitors to the zoo passing the Orangutan Rainforest may get a glimpse of the new arrival in the coming days,” he concluded.
The siamang are the only gibbons with both opposable thumbs and toes. They can weigh between 10–12 kg and have large throat pouches which allow them to vocalise and sing.
Siamang gibbons are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Their natural habitat is the canopy of semi-deciduous and evergreen forests in the Barisan Mountains of west-central Sumatra, Indonesia, the mountains of the Malay Peninsula, Malaysia.
