Coal Valley, IL - September 10, 2015 - Niabi Zoo has announced the birth of a baby Black and White Colobus monkey. The baby, a female, was born on September 1 to Shirati, a 12 year old female. This is the eighth baby for Shirati. The Colobus monkey troop's adult male, Tuli, is the father. The baby has not been named.

Zookeepers found that the baby had been born upon an early morning check that day. Shirati, who had been known to be pregnant, was cradling the baby in her arms and allowing her to nurse. As time has gone on, some of the other females in the troop have begun to serve as babysitters for Shirati from time to time. The new baby will be on display daily with her mother (weather permitting) at the African Treetops exhibit. Plans for a naming contest will be announced soon.

"We're so thrilled to have yet another healthy and thriving baby Colobus monkey," said Zoo Director Marc Heinzman. "Niabi Zoo is known in the Zoo field for having one of the most successful breeding programs for this species, and this birth is a continuation of that."

Black and White Colobus monkeys (Colobus guereza) are native to the forests of west-central and east Africa. Females give birth after a 6 month pregnancy to babies which are pure white in color with pink faces. At the age of about 1 month, they begin to change to more closely resemble the black and white coats of adults. Colobus monkeys in the wild are threatened by deforestation and the bush meat trade.

With its Fall Hours beginning September 14th, Niabi Zoo will be open from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Tuesday through Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Sunday.  Niabi Zoo closes for the year after November 1st
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Coal Valley, IL - July 7, 2015 - Niabi Zoo announced today that its male giraffe calf, Genesis, was euthanized due to ongoing difficulty recovering from a leg injury. His injury occurred a few days after his birth in February when his mother, Mimi, inadvertently stepped on him and damaged a tendon in his front left leg.

Niabi Zoo's veterinary staff had been providing constant treatment to his injured leg, but after nearly five months he had shown no significant signs of recovery. The healing process continued to be complicated by his rapid growth. "At this stage of development, Genesis was growing several inches per week, which had him at nearly eight feet tall and weighing several hundred pounds," said Zoo Director Marc Heinzman. "As he continued to grow so rapidly, that meant more and more weight for his injured leg to bear which was not conducive to the healing process."

Heinzman said reparative surgery was not an option, again because of Genesis's rapid growth rate. "Surgery on his damaged tendon was not something we could consider because he was growing faster than he could heal, in addition to it being nearly impossible to keep him off of that leg after surgery to allow it to recover properly."
"We're deeply saddened at his loss," said Heinzman, "but this extremely difficult decision was made for the sake of his welfare. The level of care provided by our animal keepers and veterinary staff was nothing short of exemplary, but the decision came down to our assessment that he is not able to heal properly and was most likely experiencing significant pain as his injury continued to linger."

The calf has been sent to the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, where a veterinary pathologist will complete a full necropsy (animal autopsy).

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