Chester Zoo celebrates birth of rare spider monkey

A new arrival at a zoo's monkey house has caused fascination and excitement for visitors and staff.

The baby Colombian black-headed spider monkey, which is under threat in the wild, was spotted at Chester Zoo being cradled in the arms of new mum, Kiara.

The "precious newcomer" was female and had been named Olive, the zoo said.

Mark Brayshaw, head of mammals at the conservation zoo, said: "It's fantastic to see Kiara cradling baby Olive closely and being so attentive."

He said life as a baby spider monkey was "very bumpy" as the primates were "incredibly agile" and leapt between treetops "using their tails to hang upside down" while finding food.

"Olive will cling to mum's belly for a few months, before gaining enough confidence to start branching off on her own and start exploring independently - which will be great to see," he said.

Mr Brayshaw said spider monkeys, which are found mainly in Colombia and Panama, faced "huge survival challenges in the wild", with more than 80% of the population having been lost in the last half a century.

Primatologists at Chester Zoo are responsible for managing co-ordinated efforts between European zoos that are working to "boost numbers and safeguard the charismatic monkeys from disappearing altogether", he added.

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