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ZooNooz Article - JUNE 2009
First born
Story by Jane Marshall,
Photographs Amanda McLellan
François Langurs are leaf-eating
monkeys native to South-East
Asia. They are listed as critically
endangered, with only around 1000
individuals left worldwide. Five
years ago, as part of an international
breeding program, Taronga Zoo
acquired a pair from overseas,
hoping one day to have breeding
success and so increase numbers.
It’s been a long wait, but recently
keepers had suspicions that Saigon,
the female langur, could be pregnant.
But no one was sure when, or if, a
birth would take place.
On March 12 this year, a primate
keeper carrying out her normal
morning routine noticed a small
orange bundle lying on the floor of
the langur dens – a langur baby with
the parents paying no attention to it
at all. This is not uncommon for firsttime
mothers in the monkey world,
as they are often nervous and unsure
of what to do. The baby, Elke, was
rushed to the Taronga Wildlife
Hospital where she immediately
received fluids and heat treatment.
She responded very well to this and
appeared to be hungry, searching
around for food. Vets and keepers
also kept a close eye on mum,
making sure she remained healthy
and happy.
Several attempts were made to
reunite the baby with her parents but
they were all unsuccessful. So the
decision was made to hand-raise her.
Elke would have keepers acting as
"adoptive mothers", working round
the clock, tending to her every need.
Elke certainly stands out in the
crowd; her bright apricot colouring
may seem unusual, especially as
her parents are almost completely
black. But this is a very normal
and important adaptation of this
species. François Langurs live in
harem societies with one male to
several females. Females will act as
babysitters to all the little ones within
their group. When a baby is born, the
orange colouring makes it stand out.
The females find this hard to resist
and so are all attracted to the baby.
According to one of Elke's
surrogate parents, "It has been
an absolute joy playing mum to
such an interesting animal and it is
definitely an experience that will be
cherished. It is amazing to watch
the transformation as she grows
and changes from a fragile little
baby to a strong, energetic and
intelligent monkey."
Little Elke is a pioneer for her
kind and will play an important
role in preserving this species for
the future.
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