The Fort Worth Zoo proudly announced the birth of a baby mandrill in January. It's the zoo's first mandrill born since 1995.
The female monkey was born Jan. 11, 2024, and named Ruby, as a nod to her mom Scarlett. Her father is J.J.
Mom and Ruby are doing very well and have formed a healthy bond with Ruby holding tight to mom as they move around their habitat.
Ruby has been staying so close to mom the zoo says she has not been measured or weighed, but zookeepers estimate she's about two pounds, about the size of a pineapple.
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The zoo says mandrill babies tend to nurse for six to 12 months and will remain close to their mother even after weaning.
The zoo is celebrating the conservation advancement of mandrills, since Ruby is only the third mandrill born at the zoo -- a female was born in 1992 and a male in 1995.
Mandrills are listed as vulnerable according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are only found in a few countries in West-Central Africa where populations have been on the decline because of illegal, unregulated hunting and destruction of their habitat.
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Ruby, snuggled close to Scarlett, and the other mandrills can now be seen in the zoo’s World of Primates habitat.
