Rare golden-bellied mangabey monkey born at Budapest Zoo

BUDAPEST, Hungary – A rare monkey only held by a handful of zoos around the world has been born in Budapest, bringing the total in captivity globally to 27.

The baby golden-bellied mangabey, whose species originates in the forests of West Africa, was born Oct. 22.

Budapest Zoo spokesman Zoltan Hanga said Friday that the infant has not yet been named or its gender determined, as its keepers do not want to disturb the monkeys’ intimacy to inspect the newborn.

Hanga said only 12 zoos have golden-bellied mangabeys. The ancestors of this infant’s father are from zoos in the United States while the mother’s are from European zoos, so the baby monkey is contributing to preserving genetic diversity among the members of the species in captivity.

Hanga said their exact preservation status in the wild is unknown.