Photo by Karen Caster

The Little Rock Zoo is proud to announce that a healthy female gibbon infant was born October 31, 2019.  The proud parents are mother, Paddy, and father, Jeepers.  The pair have had three offspring together and have been together since 2004.

The baby can be seen at the gibbon habitat with her family in the mornings, weather permitting. Mother Paddy carries the baby with her while she’s outside but does often shield the baby from public view by turning her back.

The birth comes at the recommendation of the Gibbon Species Survival Plan® (SSP), a program that oversees breeding, transfers, and animal management for gibbons in Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited and partner institutions in North America.  Developed to protect gibbons, this SSP Program coordinates species conservation, research, husbandry, management and educational initiatives.

Native to South East Asia, Hylobates lar gibbons are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), meaning there is a very high risk of their extinction in the wild.  Their vulnerability is primarily due to degradation or loss of their forest habitat. Though the number of Hylobates lar gibbons left in the wild is unknown, the Little Rock Zoo works diligently to continue to protect this special animal through expert conservation practices and participation in the Gibbon Species Survival Plan.