Meet Prospect Park Zoo’s Feisty New Baby Baboon

Prospect Park Zoo recently welcomed a furry new family member and on Monday, the little guy made his public debut.

The mini Hamadryas baboon was born on October 22 to 12-year-old female Kaia, and 23-year-old dad Bole, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). This is Kaia’s second birth at the zoo.

A video released by the WCS shows the primate being all-around adorable as he plays with his siblings, attempts to wriggle out of his mama’s arms, and gnaws on a piece of celery.

The Prospect Park Zoo breeds Hamadryas baboons as part of the Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding designed to enhance the genetic viability and demographic stability of animal populations in accredited zoos. Two baboons born at the zoo last year have been sent to another zoo as recommended by the SSP, where they will eventually start their own breeding troop.

Native to northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, Hamadryas baboons are large, ground-dwelling primates that are found in rocky areas and cliffs. They live in troops that typically include one dominant male and many females. They are highly social and spend much of their time grooming one another, a behavior that maintains and reinforces social bonds within the troop.

The Hamadryas baboon exhibit is located in the Animal Lifestyles building which is also home to tamarins and marmosets (species of New World monkeys), various bird species and Pallas cats. During inclement weather, the baboons have access to their night quarters. Mother and baby baboon may take shelter inside if it is too rainy or cold.

See more of the little guy at Prospect Park Zoo (450 Flatbush Avenue), 10am – 4:30pm, every day. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 65 and older, $5 for kids 3-12, and free for children under 3.