Zoo Tales

Colchester Zoo has the largest breeding group of Mandrills in the country and on the Sunday, 7, October it got one bigger, with the birth of a beautiful baby. 

The little youngster has been born to mother Celine and father Dume in the Edge of Africa zone, and we are pleased to announce that the baby is doing very well.  It is too early to determine the sex of the baby but it is clear to see that the baby is strong and a good weight.  The baby is very inquisitive and can be seen clinging on to its mother’s chest whilst having a good look around at all of the other mandrills in the enclosure.

In total there are now 24 mandrills all living together here at Colchester Zoo, and the birth of one more is excellent news for the EEP breeding programme that they are a part of. 

Mandrills are one of the more endangered primates in the world, which makes this new birth particularly good news. Their numbers are drastically reducing in the wild because of increasing habitat loss and hunting through the bushmeat trade.  This is where the Mandrills are hunted in the forests and their meat is sold in markets in larger surrounding towns and cities. The Bushmeat trade is a rapidly increasing problem for Africa’s primates and other wildlife, including Gorillas and Chimpanzees. 

The word mandrill means "man-ape”, but despite this beautiful primate being so closely related and indeed named after man, it is in fact man that threatens its very existence so strongly.  Man and leopards are the Mandrills’ biggest threat, and this coupled with the destruction of their natural habitat, the tropical rainforests of West Africa is leading to their endangered status.

The Mandrill is the world's largest species of monkey. They are baboon like monkeys which are live in groups that range dramtically from 15 to 200 members, although the larger groups are made up of smaller groups who come together to feed in the dry season. 

Mandrill troops are led by dominant males who are extremely colourful with a red muzzle and ridged, blue swellings on either side.  This bright colouring is also found on their rumps. The dominant male will clearly stand out from the rest of the troop as his colours will be so much brighter due a higher level of testosterone as is the case in our dominant male and father to our most recent baby, Dume.

The baby can just be seen hanging on to mum and trying to feed in the film clip above. The baby can be seen with its parents and the rest of the troop in their Mandrill enclosure down in the Edge of Africa.