NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 12, 2005

Rare Siamang Baby Born at Zoo

An endangered siamang, a tree-dwelling ape native to Indonesia and Malaysia, was born at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo on Monday, June 27.

The baby, a male, was born to siamangs Penny, age 26, and Gus, age 27. Named Tucker by zoo keepers, the baby weighed an estimated 6 ounces at birth. He will eventually grow to about 30 pounds as an adult and be covered in jet-black fur. The family makes its public debut this week.

“Penny is doing a great job taking care of the baby,” says Animal Curator Mark Weldon. Gus is also doing his part. “Dad is acting protective of Penny and the baby, just like we’d expect,” says Weldon.

Penny’s advanced age lent a bit of uncertainty to the birth. Siamangs usually live to age 35 or 40, so at age 26, Penny is considered rather old for having babies. Siamangs are pregnant for about 8 months.

Tucker’s birth is significant, according to Weldon. “This baby is important to the captive siamang population,” he says. “It has a bloodline that is not well-represented in captive siamangs.” According to Cynthia Kreider of the Erie (Pennsylvania) Zoo, who coordinates the Siamang Species Survival Plan (SSP), only two other siamangs were born in North American zoos in 2004 and 2005—one each at the San Diego Zoo and the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo.

The SSP is a cooperative program among zoos to maintain genetic diversity within populations of endangered animals. Siamangs are endangered in their native rain forests in Southeast Asia. The zoo received a recommendation from the SSP to breed Penny and Gus last summer.

An important goal of the SSP program is to maintain genetic diversity within a captive population. “We aim to maintain 90% genetic diversity in a population over a 100 year period,” says Weldon. To achieve that goal, geneticists look at mean kinship, which measures the degree to which animals are related to one another. Managed breeding programs like the SSP reduce the possibility of inbreeding, which can increase the likelihood of genetic disorders.

Tucker is Penny’s fourth baby, although the last time she gave birth was almost 20 years ago. Since then, she had received contraceptive implants to prevent a pregnancy. “We are very careful to plan births in zoo animals,” says Weldon. “By controlling the population, we don’t produce more babies than we have room for.”

For the first few months of his life, baby Tucker will cling to his mother’s belly or back as she forages for food in the family’s vine-draped enclosure along the Treetops Trail in the zoo’s Indonesian Rain Forest exhibit. They dine on fruits, vegetables, and leaves, much as they would in the wild. Siamangs have long, slender arms, which they use to swing from branch to branch. To reinforce family bonds, Gus and Penny sing loud, whooping duets each morning.

The zoo is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. until October 9. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $5.00 for children age 2-14 and for seniors over age 60. Babies age 1 and under and Zoo Society Members are admitted free.

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