@DallasZooTube's charming white-cheeked gibbon baby looks a lot different than just a few weeks ago, and he now has a name! In an ode to being born on the Zoo's Dollar Day in August, Kip shares his name with the official currency in Laos - a native area for his species. His beige hair is filling in, which will turn black as he gets older (except for the namesake white patches which will remain on his cheeks). And as you can see, he is getting bigger and stronger by the minute.
SOUND ON for cute gibbon squeaks!
Dallas Zoo’s August 24th Announcement regarding Kip:
“This little one says HELLO! We are thrilled to welcome a new addition to our white-cheeked gibbon family. Born August 11 to mom Tualang and dad Daxin, baby is strong and healthy and doing well.
Guests won't see him on habitat yet, but you certainly might hear him vocalizing or see our zoologists moving around with him behind the habitat on Primate Place. The team is closely involved with his care for the time being after mom and dad did not show much initial instinct to care for him, despite two attempts at re-introductions in the first week or so.
We know maternal care is learned, and it is common for mothers to need time to acclimate to their new role, especially for first time moms like Tualang. So the primate team was able to step in from day one and care for the baby round the clock to try to give mom time to get her bearings. They are feeding him formula every two hours, weighing him, checking his temperature, and delivering consistent and responsive care for this little one to make sure he is healthy.
Also critical is ensuring this care takes place very near mom and dad, and that Tualang is allowed to be near him as often as she likes - the hope is that over time, she becomes more comfortable with his presence and that we can continue with our re-introduction attempts to reunite the family. It's interesting to note that Tualang herself was raised by her mother Millie, while Millie was hand-raised here at the Dallas Zoo - so the team is prepared to manage the gibbon family no matter which direction this leads.
Stay tuned for more updates on how quickly he is growing, what's next in terms of re-introduction plans, and just all the cute baby gibbon happenings.”
