Rare Twin Red-cheeked Gibbons Born At South Africa's National Zoo

By Angeliné Cronje

Pretoria, South Africa - In a first for the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, twin red-cheeked gibbons were born on 30 September 2008. On available information, this appears to be a rarity both in the wild and in zoos.

Mom, Cheyenne, is 20 years old and has successfully reared four youngsters since 1997. Red-cheek gibbons generally only give birth to a single baby every two or three years. Proud father, B.A.,(which stands for Bad Attitude) is playing with the older two male gibbons while mom keeps the babies content. Gibbons pair for life.

Cheyenne arrived at the National Zoo as an adult in 1992 from Hong Kong. The male, B.A., came from France in 1994.

The babies are initially blonde in colour to match the colour of their mother’s coat. As they get older they turn from blonde to grey to black. This allows the father, who is black in colour to take over the care of the youngsters. Once the gibbon has reached sexual maturity at the age of seven years, the females turn blonde again and the males remain black.

According to conservation staff, the twins appear identical. This is Cheyenne’s first set of twins and she is coping well with the demands of the two youngsters. She is being monitored 24-hours a day and is being given supplements and vitamins to ensure her health to be able to feed the babies properly.

About the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa (NZG):
* Changes are afoot: The NZG is presently redeveloping several aspects of the visitor experience and will announce progress and new initiatives from time to time. Visitors to the property may notice enclosures under construction or redevelopment.
* The 85-hectare Zoo in Pretoria houses 3117 specimens of 209 mammal species, 1358 specimens of 202 bird species, 3871 specimens of 190 fish species, 388 specimens of 4 invertebrate species, 309 specimens of 93 reptile species, and 44 specimens of 7 amphibian species.
* More than 600 000 South Africans visit the NZG annually.
* The NZG is ranked as one of the top 10 international zoological gardens.
* The NZG celebrates its 110th birthday next year.