Adorably Clingy Baboon Babies Born At Prospect Park Zoo

It’s been an exciting few months at the Prospect Park Zoo: First red pandas, now baboon babies!

Two young Hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas), both male, were born at the zoo just weeks apart. Bole, a 21-year-old male, is proud papa of both infants. Rebecca, a 10-year-old female, was the first to give birth on August 9, followed by Kaia, also 10 years old, who gave birth on September 26.

Native to northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, Hamadryas baboons are highly social animals that spend much of their time grooming one another. The zoo reports that older of the two youngsters is proving to be independent and has started to explore his surroundings on his own. The younger baboon is still nursing, but they expect he’ll become more adventurous soon.

You can visit them at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo, located at 450 Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park, which is open daily from 10am to 4:30pm (including Thanksgiving). Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 65 and older, $5 for kids ages 3-12, and free for children under 3.